#i literally brought her home dog. my friends are never letting me live this one down 😭

[sol-flo]

i have fumbled this girl so badly that i am now working on a separate plane where this is good actually

[void-occupation]

I'M NOT DEAD!!!!!!

I have finally returned and have decided to post my most recent fixation for everyone to see. (I've been through this song and dance before but now everyone gets to see it). Also, it's not angst related?????? Who am I and what have I done with the real Void-

Optimus Prime has to repeatedly be told that he cannot in fact adopt every animal that happens to cross his path, and he has brought back everything from boxes of cats, to a stray dog, to a whole ass mountain lion on one particularly memorable occasion. HOWEVER, there is one animal he absolutely refuses to take home, and even attempts to avoid contact with at all costs. This giant alien robot who has fought in a continuous war for thousands of years will place more trust in Unicron himself (who he has literally almost died fighting) then he will in a goat. Specifically the screaming variety. The humans and most of team Prime had never seen Optimus get truly freaked out by anything - that is until he stepped into the base one day and promptly froze on the spot.

A recent sandstorm had destroyed someone's fence and a few of their goats got out. Bumblebee - taking after his sire obviously - saw the animal wandering around the desert and decided to take it back to base until the kids could find out where it lived. Optimus, who was just returning from his patrol, did not expect to return and find that the literal spawn of satan had invaded his home, and therefore was not ready to confront this secret phobia of his (especially not in front of his friends and family). So,,,, he walks in and just,,, stops. Doesn't even blink. Ratchet hasn't seen his optics this wide since he was Orion Pax. The worst part? This fucking goat is just staring him down. No mercy. Optimus can practically feel the pure malice this thing radiates as he tries to remember how to vent.

No one understands what kind of staring contest Optimus and this goat are having, but you could practically cut the tension between them with a knife. Suddenly, this goat just fucking s c r e a m s and Optimus promptly loses his damn mind. He lets out the highest pitch screech he has made in his centuries-long-life, and trips over himself in his haste to get away from this nightmare spawn standing before him.

Long story short, even after watching it happen, no one knows how Optimus scrambled up into the rafters, but he is now refusing to come down until the goat is gone, and is keeping an arm-cannon aimed at it at all times. Yes, he hears at least half of the bases occupants laughing their asses off at him, and yes, he hears Miko practically crying through her laughter, but Primus damn it he is not coming down until that thing is gone, Bumblebee so help me-

Eventually, the goat is removed from the base, and Optimus finally makes his way back to solid ground. His faceplace is practically glowing blue with his embarrassment, and he won't make eye contact with anyone for at least the next two hours, but now that the goat is gone, he's fine. He has to live with the jokes about it from everyone there for the rest of his life, but no matter how much they pester him about it, he refuses to divulge the story about the origin of his incurable fear of goats. He plans to take that story with him to the all spark (He eventually tells Ratchet and Bumblebee, the former of which promises never to tell another soul, the latter attempts to do the same, but accidentally tells Raf, who accidentally tells Miko, who purposefully ensures that everyone else knows by the end of the week. (Optimus isn't too mad, the story is actually quite funny as long as he is not within 3 miles of a goat at any point in the telling of the story.))

[hi-its-meg]

I’ve cried so much these past few days. My heart just hurts so much.

Growing up I had quite a few close friends. 4 families really accepted me as their own and I spent a lot of time hopping between their houses so I wouldn’t have to go home- I’d go weeks without going home. I was always welcome no questions asked- even on school nights, I was always fed, I was always looked after, and I was always loved.

One of these families was just so filled with love and acceptance and they truly had the healthiest family dynamic I’ve ever seen. The parents were best friends and they never stopped being so in love. They cherished their kids and everyone their kids loved. That house literally poured acceptance and encouragement. Their love was the kind you dream of- the kind where there is absolutely no doubt that they were meant to be together. No amount of hardship was going to stand in their way and they faced a lot of it over the years- from health issues, financial ups and downs, and their families not supporting them as an interracial couple.

Three years ago the dad died and their entire world fell apart. They lost everything- they lost their house, they had to rehome their dogs (the only dog my friend still has is my dogs brother. The dad LOVED him so much that my friend couldn’t let him go. I offered to take him if they needed since I couldn’t let my dogs brother go to a shelter when I’m the one who brought him here, but thankfully my friend made it work), and everyone got separated at that point just so they could all survive. It destroyed the mom. She struggled so much these past few years.

Last week I had to message my friend because I saw a post her mom made on Facebook saying that she was going to end her life. I’m so thankful I saw it so quickly and she was able to send an ambulance to her mother’s apartment in time. A couple days in the hospital and she was back at home and seemed to be doing better.

Yesterday we got the news that she has passed. It doesn’t appear to be self inflicted thankfully, but it’s so sudden and unexpected. My heart is so broken for my old friend and her younger sister. They have no parents anymore. We’re all in our 20s, they shouldn’t have to go the rest of their lives without their parents who loved them so much. It’s just not fair that the best example of a loving family many of us had ever seen got destroyed like this. I cannot express how amazing these parents were and how much their daughters did not deserve this. My heart is just so broken for them.

The mom saved my life as a teenager and I will never be able to thank her enough. She forced my family to stop ignoring that I was hurting myself and that I really needed help. I’ve known and loved this woman since I was 7 years old. She always listened and she always cared.

A bunch of us stayed the night in their basement- which was super common- but this time my now-husband was there. We had been dating for a couple of months at the time. My friend group was always pro boy/girl sleepovers so this wasn’t anything scandalous. The next morning I got up and she was making breakfast for us all. She grabbed my shoulder and smiled at me and she gushed over my husband. She was so happy that I was finally moving on from my ex and she hadn’t seen me this happy in a long time. That he seemed like a good one and that everyone loved him being there. She always knew what to say.

I’m not really sure why I’m posting this. I think maybe I just needed to get it out of my head. This will be the first funeral I’ve gone to where I’ve truly been impacted and loved by this person and I think I’m struggling with that. I’m struggling with how unfair the world is.

The first girl I ever had feelings for passed suddenly a couple days before this. The girl that made me realize that I liked women and I could truly see myself loving her if she let me. I always thought she was the most beautiful person. Her name became my favorite name, it’s still my favorite name. She was so funny and so kind to me when a lot of people weren’t back then. She had a hard time in life but she never stopped being so kind. It’s really sad that she’s gone.

Death tends to come in 3s so now I’m just waiting.

[brb-on-a-quest]

If you send me photos of cute animals I’ll literally love you forever (ok my love is not entirely dependent on that but it would make me soooo happy)

*opens trenchcoat* *speaks with a gravelly voice* Oh you've come to the right place friend i've got the goods.

Ok so actually my house is always a menagerie at any given moment and its chaos and like I love animals and I love my family but I at the moment I can not wait to leave this whole zoo behind because things are never calm ever. Like we have five animals that live here full time and my mother has a dog boarding business so in addition to the main cast of characters we have a whole bunch of side characters that have stayed like a couple weeks sometimes? (Literally if you're looking for peace and quiet ever, you won't find it here).

Also got most of these for my phone and i can tell i am more cat person than dog person because I have two videos of the actual puppy, two photos of my other dog and like more decent photos of the cats. So let me introduce you to the whole main cast of characters:

^ This is Benji. Maltese poodle mix. We've had him since he was about 7 months old? Couple years old now and has started going into old man routine. He's very talkative and likes to make his opinion known and make sure that we greet every guest properly with due enthusiasm. Sorry to all the people who have been to my house and he's jumped on them we're trying its hard. He's currently in 4H Obedience club with my sister who adores him entirely (he puts up with her as he settles into his old man era). Fun fact about him: mans gets entirely jealous when any other dog recieves more attention than him (how dare they).

I actually don't have any good photos of Rosie (not named after @igotthisaccountunderduress, I swear but that's why I can only call you Iggy now), so take a video of our newest recruit! She's a three months old puppy? maybe four? idk how time works. She's learning a lot of things and mom's having a blast training her from scratch as we got her from a breeder rather from like a shelter as with all our other pets (my mother is obssesed with animals but wanted to do all the ground work of raising a puppy and making sure it was socialized/housetrained etc. Kudos to her because I could never. My mom is really awesome and I don't know where she finds time for this). Anyway she's kind of in her destructive menace stage still but also she hops around and it's really funny. We aquired this one after our old Corgi/lab/otherquestionable things (I just realized I don't have any pics of him) passed away from cancer. She is also the first female pet we have owned since I was a baby (mainly by coincidence I swear but it's just funny).

And now we get on to the cats. There are three of them so I'm going to start with oldest to youngest.

This is Zorro (my favorite) out of all the cats. He was acquired shortly after George when we found mice in one of our old houses. He put up with George, but after mom started getting more and more animals into the house Zorro became more and more fed up and trying to get out and away from all the whippersnappers so he's an outdoor cat now (don't worry he has an electrically heated house and is fed wonderfully and is still living his best life). He's also the only one who will actually sit on my lap and let me pet for long periods of time (I love him he's my favorite, when I move out for reals I kind of want to take him with me so he can get as pampered as he wants in his older years but IDK how much he would like adjusting back to indoor life again). He's very grumpy old man but like would die for him yk? Bebe.

This is Rocky (short for Rocket, although no one ever calls him that ever.) The reason he is called Rockey is that when we brought him home there was so much fighting and indecision over what we should call him (including much bribery and corruption when my dad tried to call a democratic vote -> one of my siblings tried selling his vote for a snickers) so we ended up just by calling him by the nickname he was given at the shelter. And it stuck. Rocky kinda forgets he is a cat sometimes and acts more like the dogs that he grew up around like by wagging his tail and like chirps instead of a proper meow. He also can never sit like a normal cat and I find him curled up in probably the most strangest positions known to man that can't be comfortable (i have a few pics but not nearly enough of all the ones he does)

This is Tigger. Tigger came from my Grandma tricking us into taking the psycho. Do not let his baby face fool you this cat is a menace to society. He was with a friend of my grandma's who liked antagonizing him and taught him to play really rough and maybe neglected him? Which is really sad because it taught him so many bad habits that means he is the menace that he is. Anyway, parents got him while I was away at college and adopted him on my birthday (when i wasn't there). But even though none of the human peoples like him all that much, Rocky does and also we would all feel really guilty about rehoming him because if we rehomed him he'd probably be euthanized or something because he's not a friendly cat. Or rather, let me put it this way. I think he's very friendly he's just too violently playful. His favorite game is hiding in like darkened corners and under covered tables and then jumping out and scratching/biting people (traumatized lil 7yo sis bc of it so she stays far away from him now). The funniest thing is that he'll still keep the baby face and he looks like he has no thoughts behind his eyes and the next thing you know he's clawing off your hand. We've been trying to train the agression out of him but it's really not as easy as training dogs.

like don't get me wrong I love murder cat (as I have dubbed him) but also I fear him and he knows it. However his eternal baby face gives me much meme material so he do pull his own weight around the house. He's also the only cat to have ever caught and killed a mouse inside. So we're grateful to him and glad he's part of our family but he's more effective than either of our dogs if a burglar breaks in. Actually, I should put the other pic here as well.

He may look cute but don't believe him. It's all part of his plan to get you in your sleep. (JK JK, murder cat, if you learned to read and are watching me as you sit behind me, please know that I do love you even though you frustrate me to know end pelase don't eat me).

Bonus: some very raw (still alive) baby birbs found by a friend of mine. Still alive as far as im aware. Also all of them are at my school so thankfully far away from my murderous pets.

[holly-fixation]

An Instinct To Protect: Part 2

Summary: Hojo successfully bred Sephiroth without the soldier's knowledge or consent. Sephiroth took the child and ran from Shinra. Now, years later, he could finally begin settling down. He didn't expect his child to be any different from him, just a young creature with high strength and intelligence.

He was wrong. Extremely wrong. 

Inspired by this post by @altocat with many of my own twists

...

Shinra agreed to a ceasefire with the Silver Soldier. It took the former Firsts and the company three years to solidify the terms and conditions, but Sephiroth and his friends were finally free of their grasp. After the encounter in the forest, the father took up camp in the colorful canyon on the western continent. It took time to convince the people of Cosmo Canyon that he meant no harm and would bring no harm. He just wanted a safe place to raise his daughter, and options were thin regarding towns and cities out of Shinra's control. Planetology never interested the company, so this canyon was the perfect place. 

For the first year, he purchased an extended stay from the only inn he could find. He would leave Nova there during the day with her own key while he made money through hunts. Whether he hunted monsters in the open lands or the soldiers that searched for him depended on the day. At night, he’d bring her out of the canyon and train her until her bed time. She wasn't afraid of the dark, but she was afraid of being alone at night. Sephiroth stayed with her in their tent until she fell asleep then left to continue his hunts. Some nights, Nova woke up to the clanging of his blade and the roars of monsters, but it didn’t bother her. She knew he could protect her. She knew he was protecting her. 

By the second year, the people of the canyon believed he would not do any harm and allowed them both a small home, but the canyon's protector followed him everywhere with a growl, his flaming tail flicking in a silent threat. However, Nova found the proud beast absolutely adorable. Poor Nanaki was not prepared for her constant badgering for rides and answers to questions. He brought these bouts of harassment to the elder of the canyon, but the old man laughed lightly and informed the teen-like protector that she was merely looking for someone to spend time with. Sephiroth was silently grateful when he found the lion-like beast walk his daughter to tire her out, as backwards as it was to have a beast walk a child and not the other way around. Other days he found himself hiding a smirk, especially when he found her completely passed out in his red fur as Nanaki carried her home. 

Finally after three years, with Nova just over five years old, the ceasefire was signed. They could finally live in the canyon in some semblance of peace. Angeal and Genesis visited regularly, and Nova practically and sometimes literally bounced with joy when they were around. 

“Angeal Angeal Angeal! Are you gonna cook tonight?!” Nova's excitement greatly increased her volume as she hugged his leg. 

He gave her a small smirk and ruffled her hair. “Yes, I am. Do you have any suggestions?”

She shook her head like a wet dog. “You always make good food. I trust you!”

Genesis squinted at her playfully, flicking his head dramatically in a scoff. “You always have an opinion when your father or I cook.”

“Don't bring me into this,” Sephiroth countered with his usual emotionless tone, but they could all see his little smirk.

She gave a little shrug. “Sometimes it's nice to be surprised?”

“Are you asking me?” Genesis gave her a challenging glare but she gave one right back. “I get that your father's a bad cook but what did I do?”

Nova glared sharply and let go of Angeal. “Father's cooking is just fine.”

The red head rolled his eyes with a soft smirk before suddenly scooping her up. Her size and age did not phase him. He lifted her with ease as his little way of spoiling her. She pouted at him for his comment but also rested her head right on his shoulder. He gently petted her waterfall of silver hair and watched her resolve loosen as she settled against him. “Looks like somebody's ready for an afternoon nap.”

She groaned against his red coat and stirred slightly. It was the only piece of his old uniform he kept after leaving the company, and she liked the texture. “No…” Her mumble earned her a small squeeze. “I don’t wanna go…”

Of course she didn't want to go to bed; all her favorite adults were here. 

“Then maybe Genesis can hold you through your nap. Does that sound good?” Her father suggested. 

However, her sleep staining mind only registered one word. “Genesisisisis…”

They all hid a little chuckle at her enjoyment of the name. He adjusted her weight for a more comfortable position then waited until her breathing slowed. “Look at her,” He whispered. “All tuckered out.”

“She's been going non stop since we arrived. She's like a little puppy.”

Nova let out a little yawn before nuzzling into the fabric.

“Are the townsfolk still weary of you?” Angeal chose to continue their earlier conversation.

The former silver soldier nodded. “About half of them are, but they accept Nova like she’s one of their own.”

“Last I checked, they’re concerned about your training as well.”

“A bit. But I will not leave her without the skills to defend herself.”

“Fair enough. Any new problems with Shinra?”

He shook his head. “Not since the ceasefire. As long as we stay within the canyon’s territory, they agreed to avoid any attacks on the town and Nova.” He watched Genesis give his daughter a confused look. “Is something wrong?”

His red brows were completely knotted in bewilderment as he scanned her body. “Does she usually vibrate?”

Now it was their turn to grow perplexed expressions. “What?” Sephiroth questioned flatly. 

Genesis leaned his head down and pressed an ear to the side of her ribs. “I think she’s… purring?”

The silver haired man assumed the soft rumbling was just the pipes or from a motor outside, not his little girl.

“Here. Let me see her,” Angeal suggested with open arms and a gesture of his hands. 

Genesis gave his oldest friend a glare. “She doesn’t like it when you hold her.”

“She’s asleep. She won’t know.”

He huffed softly before adjusting the child. She fussed a bit as she was transferred, trying to rest her head on Angeal’s shoulder but flinching away from the prickly nature of his beard. Once she settled, Angeal felt it too. “She…is. She definitely is.”

Sephiroth decided to test something. “Nova?”

His call made her stir with a small murmur. 

“Nova.”

She made a little noise before rubbing her eyes, her internal motor stopping before she even adjusted her eyes to the light.

“Are you alright?”

She nodded.

“Do you feel anything odd?”

She shook her head. “Just sleepy…” When her father didn’t ask another question, she requested, “Can I go back to Genesis…?”

Sephiroth didn’t even answer before Genesis yoinked her into his arms and sat back on the couch. Instead of fighting or pouting, she snuggled against him and fell right back to sleep. Her purrs returned. He petted her hair to pull her farther into the realm of dream.

“Well,” Angeal started before looking at the father, “It doesn’t seem to bother her.”

“I believe she doesn’t know it’s happening.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“Not necessarily. But she only purrs when you two are here. She doesn’t make that sound without you.”

Genesis held his free hand to his heart. “Then we’re honored.”

Sephiroth rolled his eyes softly at his friend’s joke, but he couldn’t stop his rushing thoughts. “I want to test something.” Without explaining, he stood and left the hotel room. Sure enough, as her father traveled away, her purring lessened and ultimately stopped. When he returned, he suggested Angeal leave for a moment, just to confirm. Sure enough, her sounds faded to nothing as he left. When he returned, so did they. 

How did she produce such inhuman sounds? Why didn’t she notice? And why did she only purr with all three of them in the room?

“What does that mean?” Angeal thought aloud. 

“Perhaps she’s just happiest when we’re all together,” Genesis suggested as she tugged on his coat innocently. He adjusted the leather around her and she curled into the red cocoon, another soft yawn leaving her lips as she slept against his shirt.

Sephiroth prayed that his friend’s simple reasoning was true. 

* * * 

A couple days later, Nova could not hide her excitement for her first quest. Her father let her go hunting with Genesis in the canyon. If she could accomplish this, then she could finally aid her father. She could finally fight alongside him as she was always meant to. At least, she was told that by a vague memory of a horrible man in a white coat. 

She literally ran ahead of Genesis in search of prey. She wanted to be the absolute best she could, even though her father wasn't watching. He always had an eye on her during training, especially with the small monsters. Now, they were looking for a big one: a griffin. She was simultaneously excited and terrified. She needed to gather five of its feathers for the village healer. Sadly the remainder of the beast was inedible, so her true goal was to carry as many quills as she could in order to stock the clinic as much as possible.

However, nothing went according to plan. 

Multiple monsters ambushed them, each far too strong for Nova to damage with her current skill. For her sake, Genesis shifted his full attention to the battle before him. He didn’t see that she spotted a griffin. He didn’t see her try to take it down on her own, only to chase the injured creature as it fled. He only saw her run into the Ancient Forest alone. 

“Nova, come back!” He yelled his command as he dashed after her, but she either did not hear him or truly believed she could defeat the creature. He couldn’t track her within the trees, his enhanced hearing only working against him as every creature in the forest completely drowned her footsteps. He kept calling her name as he moved deeper and deeper into the unknown, until he heard her scream. Genesis’ heart sank as he rushed after the sound, but again he didn’t find her upon arrival. What he did find were three Shinra security troops with their throats slit and stab wounds through their hearts. 

Nova was gone. Shinra was hunting her. This forest wasn’t within the canyon’s territory. It was free reign for battle. 

Genesis rapidly searched for any clue where she ran off to, desperately racing for his best friend’s little girl. He only hoped whatever killer instinct she unlocked could keep her alive until he found her. After wasting too much time, an idea finally hit him. Yes he would confess to losing Nova in possibly the worst case scenario, but at least they could find her. 

He would never forget the look on Sephiroth’s face when he said the phrases no parent should ever hear. “Nova’s missing. Shinra troops are after her. She’s somehow killing them, but she ran away. We need Nanaki to track her down right now.” 

Sephiroth did not say a single word to Genesis. He moved so quickly he practically teleported to the canyon’s guard and asked for aid. Nanaki sensed the urgency hidden behind his expressionless wall. The protector agreed without hesitation.

Even with Nanaki’s nose, it took an hour to discover her scent not only entered the forest, but it exited the forest. It returned to the direction of Cosmo Canyon, but she was nowhere near the home. Her scent led them to the river between the canyon and a small mountain town called Nibelheim. It didn’t take long to spot their target by the river bank, but something surrounded her. Sephiroth knew without a doubt his daughter was trapped by whatever that creature was, ensnared in a large wing of shaking ebony feathers. The creature wasn’t large but it could be deadly. Thank gods that even with his blade in his hand, he did not attack instantly. 

The wing was decorated with a confetti of white and an adhesive of red. Bones and blood. He didn’t understand what he was seeing until he got close.

It wasn’t a creature capturing Nova; it was Nova, hugging her knees with her head resting on them as she sat on the ground just before the water. Her body trembled, her blood stained sword laid at her side with dirt on the blade. The wing only curled around her, but she couldn’t control her breathing. She couldn’t control her tears even through tightly closed eyes. When she finally looked up to see them all, her left eye was glowing red.

What the hell did Hojo do to her?

“Father-” She sobbed, her hyperventilating breath tainting her voice and her thoughts. “I-I don't know what happened- I don't know how- I-”

He knelt down and put his hands on her shoulders. He knew how to calm panic. He’d done it dozens of times back in Wutai with new recruits. “Follow my breathing.”

“I didn’t mean to- I just wanted-”

“Nova.”

She let out a long whine. She was reaching for the wing at her back.

“Nova, breathe with me, alright?” He didn’t wait for her to answer before he demonstrated. 

In. One. Two. Three. Out. One. Two. Three. 

In. One. Two. Three. Out. One. Two. Three.

She watched him desperately and tried with all her might to copy him, but she couldn’t. The adrenaline running through her body left her in a panic attack-like state.

In. One. Out. One. In. One. Out. One. In. One. Out. One. In. One. Out. One. In-

She was only a bit calmer before her father dared place a hand on the newborn wing. She cried and flinched horribly, almost falling back to hide. “Don’t touch it!” The limb was tender and fresh, barely even dry. Even her own touch hurt. 

Sephiroth’s hand was drawn away long before she spoke a word. “I won’t. I apologize. We’re taking you back home, okay?”

Nova forced herself to swallow hard and gesture to the river. “There’s something out there, Father- I don’t know what but it’s there-”

The silver haired father hushed her never ending string of panic as softly as he could, but she didn’t stop.

“It came back- it came back- it came back-” She grabbed her own hair, each lock knotting around her fingers, rocking back and forth. 

Sephiroth’s hands froze. He didn’t know what to do. He only knew she needed him and he couldn’t let her stay like this. 

“We need to take her to my grandfather. He’ll know what to do,” Nanaki suggested reassuringly.

The father didn’t even remember the beast led him here with his red headed friend. He saw his auburn friend cautiously remove his iconic red coat and attempt to wrap the little girl in it. 

She tensed and couldn’t hide her cries of pain from the contact against the feathers.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” He spoke softly as he leaned down, finally pulling her attention away from her cursed sobs. “We just need to keep you safe. I’m gonna pick you up, and we’re gonna take you to get help, okay?”

She nodded with terrified tears leaving her eyes. “What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with me?! Am I a monster?! Why am I a monster!?”

Genesis saw his friend tighten immediately at the question, all his worst fears about her breaking the surface at once. “You’re not a monster. You never have been and you never will be. I’m gonna pick you up now, okay?”

Nova nodded again yet she couldn’t stop her tainted repetition of ‘I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry’.

He carefully hid her entire body in his coat. Instead of the usual way he lifted her, he picked her up with an arm beneath her knees and the other supporting her shoulders. Her wingless side was pressed against his chest. He felt the wing trying to move under the fabric. “Are you alright, Nova?”

Another nod, but she was clearly in pain, the wing trying to wrap around her in defense but only exposing more of itself to outside touch. 

“I know. I know. I’m sorry, little one. We just need to get back to the canyon. I promise you’ll be okay. We’ll keep you safe.”

“Daddy…” She whimpered against him. 

Did she just call him…? 

Genesis looked to Sephiroth as if his friend was the angel of death from her call alone, yet the silver soldier was already on his feet and marching back to the canyon, clearing every monster in their path without hesitation. Nanaki gave the redhead an almost angry look before flicking his head toward the canyon.

* * * 

No one dared approach the party, not with the look in Sephiroth’s eyes. They scaled the canyon to the observatory at the top with ease. The only exception was Angeal joining their little party. He saw the size of the wrap in Genesis' arms and feared for the worst. Luckily, Nova's panicked breath worked to her advantage for once. The sound instantly relieved the former First, but he kept his hopes down for everyone's sake. 

The elder may not have known what was happening, but he did have a plan for it. He told Angeal to fetch the village healer and explained that it may be a stress response to Shinra. They would attempt to cure that first. 

She was terrified, but she obeyed every command they gave her. She followed the healer to the bathroom to clean her wing with only hesitant whimpers. She sat perfectly still as they analyzed and searched her for wounds. She barely blinked as they shined lights in her eyes to test for concussions.

The lab. She acted like she was in the lab. 

They gave her some kind of mixture in a small blue bottle of glass. She needed to drink it a single shot to be effective, and they expected Sephiroth to help ease it through her throat. They didn't expect the little girl to down it all at once, her only reaction was a disgusted expression on her face. Her heart, however, stayed rapid as her breathing drowned. 

“Ask her anything you need,” Bugenhagen suggested. “But be gentle. She knows what she did. Do not barrate her yet. After that, I have something to ask of you.”

They all accepted. 

“Nova,” Sephiroth called softly and though her breath was much better, she still felt fear. In this moment, the pitiful look she gave him clawed at his parental instincts. He wanted to hold her until everything was okay again. Until she smiled or laughed again. “What came back? What's across the river?”

“The woman with red eyes…” She whimpered weakly, the potions effects already showing themselves. “The one from my dreams…”

The silver soldier was ready to burn down everything past that river if it meant helping his daughter. 

“I think… She was trying to protect me…”

His brows knotted. 

“Everything went red… I don’t remember…” She couldn't focus past the medicine, her wing covering half her body like a blanket as she looked up through the feathers. “I'm sorry… I can't… I’m too… tired…” She tried to reach for him, hoping for the smallest touch. “Father…”

He never wished he understood how to give basic affection any greater than he did in that moment, her innocent eyes begging weakly as the accursed red glow faded away. He hesitantly placed his hand on the cushion near her head, and she placed her own hand on top and leaned her forehead against it, taking the single offering as a pillow for her medically induced sleep. The pained look on her face lessened but sustained. 

“When she wakes, we must focus on lowering her stress. You must do something calming with her. It can’t be too exciting, even if it makes her happy. We think the wing is a sort of survival instinct and she still feels like she’s in danger.”

“Why a wing?” Angeal asked out loud, instantly regretting the words as Sephiroth glared at him softly. 

“Hojo did this to her. Whatever he injected her with caused this. I'm sure of it.” He returned his eyes to his little girl, watching her chest rise and fall with each strained breath. “There's no sane logic behind his decisions.”

They quickly silenced.

“Angeal. Genesis. I'd like to speak with Sephiroth alone if that's possible.”

Angeal accepted the request and gave a nod before turning to the door. 

Genesis, however, stood his ground. “What do you need to talk to him about?”

“Genesis,” Sephiroth spoke calmly at first. 

“If this is about Nova, I want to hear it.”

“Then I will relay the message to you later.”

That tone silenced him. Getting any information about her condition was far more important than all of them knowing it right now.

“...Very well.” With those final reserved words, Genesis left, and Angeal followed. 

Both the elder and the silver father waited until the two friends were out of hearing distance before daring to speak to each other. 

“What happened to her?” 

Sephiroth sighed softly. “It was supposed to be a hunting trip.”

Bugenhagen took a breath. “My apologies. That’s not what I meant.”

His inhuman eyes flicked away. He knew exactly what the elder meant. “...I did not have a single part in making or raising her until I pulled her out of Midgar. She was playing with weights when I first saw her.” He glared down at the memory. “They gave me the choice to raise her. I didn’t answer. They told her I would only go see her if she was a good soldier and listened without protest.”

“Was she trained to kill?”

He shook his head. “Not anything living. She was still fighting training bots.”

“Has she killed anything living before today?”

He sighed. He already answered these questions when they first arrived, but he explained truthfully. “Yes. When hunting with my aid. Nothing more.”

The elder hummed before he spoke again, though it seemed to Sephiroth that he completely changed the topic, “I’m worried about her. And I’m worried about you. I believe you both should seek out counseling here. It may help you and prevent this from happening again.”

“I can’t stop Shinra from appearing in the forest.”

“It’s not about Shinra. Our counselors can teach the skills to regulate and deal with stress in healthy ways. It can even stop episodes like hers from happening again. At the very least, it can help her identify what they are and let her ride out the waves without crippling fear.”

He tensed. “How?”

“First they help you adjust in the moment while together you search for the deeper reason. Usually, over the course of months, you explain your anxieties or your childhood and then-”

“Absolutely not.” Sephiroth cut him off.

Bugenhagen paused before questioning cautiously. “...May I ask why not?”

He pulled his gaze away from his daughter to the floor, taking a breath before explaining as conservatively as possible, “...Speaking of my past gets people hurt. I refuse.”

The elder decided he pushed enough for one day. The man had been through enough. 

“I…” He sighed. “I’ll look into it for her.” The gaze on him softened. “I just want her to be okay.”

“That’s all any parent wants. All we can do is raise them better than we were, and hope for the best.”

* * * 

When she awoke, her rapid breath and the fear deep in her heart returned to a significantly lesser extent than before. Sephiroth had stayed with her through her entire rest, and watching her panic return stung his chest. However, he had a plan, with permission he already obtained from Bugenhagen. The elder warned him not to speak of whatever happened to her until she was ready. If she chose to speak, he could listen until her fear returned, but he could not ask questions or prod into her just yet. She needed this unnatural panic attack to stop first. 

When her eyes finally focused on her father, he offered his hand again. “Come with me.”

She grabbed his hand as they both stood up. “Where are we going? Where's Genesis? I need to apologize-”

“We'll meet with them later,” He led her to the door, but she kept rapidly searching the room. 

“Where's grandpa Bugenhagen?” She was hanging out with Nanaki too much if that's what she called him. 

“By the bonfire with Nanaki. Don't worry about them right now,” He spoke as softly as he could.

“Where are we going?”

Pity claimed his expression for only half a second. She usually didn't ask him questions until their tasks were usually complete. She was scared of what would happen, needing to know if she would be safe. “Just outside. I promise you'll like it.”

“What's outside?”

Sephiroth simply held the door open, and she left through the open path. 

Nova immediately checked her surroundings, searching for any and every threat of the terrain, but at the top of the canyon there was nothing. The only items that seemed out of place were the thick blanket with two pillows on top laying on the ground. 

“Look up,” Sephiroth gave his only command. 

When her head tilted to the sky, she couldn't help but gasp. The sun was long gone, and the stars of the galaxy made themselves visible once again. Yet here, at the top of the canyon, she could almost make out the color of each one. It was breathtaking, a perfectly clear night with a new moon, not a single disturbance in the sky. 

Sephiroth put a hand on her shoulder and one carefully on her wing. She jerked away at first, but she didn't feel any pain. “Is it better?”

She touched the feathered limb with pokes, grabs, and light smacks. It didn't hurt anymore. She sighed in slight relief. “Much better. Much much better.” 

He watched the slightest calm in her eyes fizzle to despair that the limb still existed in the first place. Tears welled in her lids as she looked at it, so her father gave her a gentle tap on the shoulder before gesturing to the blanket. “Go get comfortable.”

She nodded hesitantly, trying to swallow her emotion as she headed over. She always had too much emotion. Before she could sit, she stared down at the fabric in challenge. What was she supposed to do with her wing?

Sephiroth originally planned on waiting for her to get comfortable with the new limb before joining her in staring up at the stars, but after a few minutes of silence, he identified her dilemma. He took a seat and held out a hand again. 

She didn't take it this time. She was trapping herself inside her own head to hide what she could. 

His gaze softened again. She was acting like she was back in the lab. Gods she was afraid. He hated seeing her like this. 

“Take your time.” He coaxed her into trying with just a few simple words. Nova gave a little nod and sat down, leaning her head all the way back to stare up at the stars. Her wing rustled in the breeze, its feathers extending to prevent falling to the ground. 

They enjoyed a few minutes of silent calm before a question rose in the daughter's mind. “Father, why are we here…?”

He took a breath before answering truthfully, “To help you feel calm again.”

“Can I be calm after I apologize to Genesis?”

He stared at the stars to avoid her gaze, trying to follow the elders advice not to prod. 

Nova glanced at him. “Father?”

His only response was a small glance. 

Now she looked away too, deliberately facing away from her new limb. “Do you think I'm a monster…?”

She might as well have stabbed him through the heart with the question alone. “No. You are not a monster. Nova, answer me honestly, do you want to talk about what happened in the forest?”

She nodded softly, but he heard her heartbeat increase nervously. “I just wanna explain… I want these thoughts out of my mind… They keep repeating… I just want to stop thinking about it…”

“Talk then. Start whenever you can.”

Another nod came in response before a pause claimed them both. She stared at the sky as she explained, using the cosmos to ground herself. “I missed the killing blow on the griffin... I tried to take it down myself, but it ran away… It wasn’t going to survive its injuries and I didn’t want it in pain…”

Her father sat up as she explained. She didn’t have a desire to kill. She wanted to end its suffering.

She used his breathing technique to keep her heart steady. 

In. One. Two. Three. Out. One. Two. Three. 

“So I chased it… And I almost had it before Genesis called me back… But I was so close so I kept going anyway…” She shook her head at her own decision and took another slow breath. “Then it ran past three Shinra soldiers and by the time I saw them they already knew I was there…” She suddenly grabbed his arm, using the touch as a lightning rod for her focus. 

“Nova,” He called in a small warning. Her heart was beating too fast.

“I can do it,” She denied. “I can, just…” One. Two. Three. “I tried to run but they chased me… I was so so scared… They didn’t use any magic or their guns for a while but then a bullet just missed me and…” She squeezed his arm and squeezed her eyes closed. The stars would not protect her from this. “I saw her… I saw the thing from my dreams and she grabbed my neck and everything went red- and then I was in the canyon and there was blood on my sword- and I was too scared to go home- and when I ran away- I felt this pull in my chest- and when I made it to the river- the wing came out- and it hurt so much- and-”

Tears fell from her eyes and he grabbed her shoulders to pull her attention away. “Nova, stop.”

She obeyed, stopping her explanation but not her flood of memories.. 

Damn it he was supposed to keep her calm. The fear and panic in her eyes only increased with each word as she relayed the events of the incident. He should have stopped her sooner.

“F-Father…” she cried as she tightly grasped his arm. “Can you pick me up…? Please…?”

She always felt safe in his arms.

He stood and lifted her up, keeping his hands on her only as support. He didn’t know what else he could do but her sobs peaked quickly as tears dropped into the fabric of his shirt. He walked around the top of the canyon with her in his arms, hoping the motion soothed her even a little. 

He didn't want to tell her that the same nightmare creature grabbed him as a child. He remembered fighting it off, screaming, kicking, clawing, completely forgetting it wasn't real. Only when the lab techs finally tranquilized him did he truly see who he attacked: the brown haired woman and little girl with a pink bow that Hojo took far too much interest in. He didn't want to hurt them but his fear made him. Yet Nova didn't remember killing the troops or leaving the Ancient Forest. This was different. Why did her sight only go red? Why did her eye glow red?

Nova was far too fragile to answer these questions now. Her breath regulated, and her mind calmed a bit. She just held her father tightly, her wing wrapping around his shoulders and aiding her squeeze. The feathers were warm and soft. 

Eventually, he managed to hush her into worriless silence. He coaxed her into laying next to him and staring calmly at the universe before them. With each passing moment of her eyes on the stars, she seemed more and more tranquil. This did not stop her from asking every question she had, however. Luckily Sephiroth knew the answers to nearly all of them. He always loved the stars too. He studied them as much as Hojo allowed in his youth, and he certainly made time for the occasional book on the topic during his time in SOLDIER. 

Some of her questions were still fairly complex considering all the time she spent with Nanaki and subsequently Bugenhagen. He answered as best he could to slow her questions and keep her from getting too excited. 

He wasn't sure when, but he felt exhaustion grow in her tiny body, her heartbeat slowing and her breath deepening as she began falling into a real rest rather than a chemically induced one.

“Are you ready to go home?” Sephiroth asked softly, trying not to disturb her too much. 

Nova shook her head. “I wanna stay by the stars…”

It was such a beautiful night. Why would he dare argue with her, even as she fought her own eyelids open? Not much time passed before she curled herself into her own wing and leaned against him, her purrs violently returning. Now he felt the vibrations against him. This sound was much stronger than before, and judging by the frustrated and fearful look on his daughter’s face, she felt it too.

He swallowed before forcing himself to tell her what she needed to hear. “You’re okay. You’re not a monster. And Genesis thinks your purring is cute.”

She barely murmured with small surprise, “really…?”

Sephiroth nodded. “Really.”

Nova gave a small hum in response. She didn’t last much longer. Sephiroth waited until he was certain she would not wake before wrapping her in his long coat and carrying her home.

* * * 

Days passed of trying to calm Nova enough to trigger some kind of reaction with the wing. A normal life would be impossible to manage with the extra limb no matter how cool or fluffy people claimed it to be. Sephiroth and Genesis purchased her new shirts and dresses that wouldn’t interfere with the wing. Angeal just tried to make her comfortable by cooking as many meals as he could for her. Nova spent her few hours alone with Nanaki hidden in alleys and just talking. Any time she dared lay next to him or fall asleep on him, she’d purr. 

In fact, she purred almost constantly now. Instead of a subtle hum the former Firsts could barely hear, she was unignorable and unavoidable, as if standing next to a washing machine. Despite the abnormal nature, Genesis couldn’t help but make it his mission to make her purr as loudly as possible. He’d wrap her in the fluffiest blankets he could find, and she’d giggle from the fuzzies along her skin in response. He’d trap her in his lap before tickling her until she couldn’t stand it. He’d coax her into sleeping against him, petting her hair and her feathers. The louder she purred, the more accomplished he felt.

Nova spent a lot more time with Genesis than either Angeal or even her father due to the wing. Instead of silently encouraging her to be calm enough to send the wing away, if that was even possible, Genesis sneaked her out at night and sparred with her. He told her to try to use the wing in any way that felt natural. Of course he didn’t expect her to fly away or anything. She probably couldn’t fly at all with only one wing. Nova may have sorta accidentally called Genesis ‘Dad’ during these little hidden sessions. Though she was terribly embarrassed when the word fell from her lips, Genesis cherished the moment. 

It took three weeks for the wing to dissipate into a swirl of black magic and feathers right in front of all of their eyes. Sephiroth hugged her tighter than he ever had that day, and she was so happy. 

She can be normal. She can be normal. 

Nova hugged him back with no knowledge of his internal worries. She told him she was thankful it was gone, but that it was still there. She felt it lying in wait in her back, ever present but not pressured to release. 

Sephiroth just kept her close. It was the first time he hugged her that he didn't feel like a copy or a mimic. He did what felt right and held her in his arms until his own heart calmed. 

.

.

.

.

Thanks for reading! 

[berrywarbler]

i had to unexpectedly put my french bulldog to sleep this past Tuesday because she had a mass that was about to burst at any moment and another next to her heart and surgery (if she survived it at all because A) she’s a french bulldog and B) she’s 12 years old) might not have bought her even a few more months. i couldn��t stand to watch her suffer so it seemed the most humane thing to do to let her go so she wouldn’t be suffering any longer (this thing had grown so quickly and she wasn’t herself for a few days and she was losing her appetite) 

i’m utterly devastated because she was my little shadow and she was my very best friend. she’s been with me for a decade. 

when i first got her-- my mom rescued her from this woman at work who had bred her and didn’t want her anymore and was just going to take her to the shelter so mom took her. she brought her home and this was when we were living at my old house and i spent a majority of my time up all night in the living room. so she would sit behind me on the couch. she was unsure of being with us/me (she had clearly been mistreated)-- she didn’t know how to love, snuggle, or give kisses. she hung out with me every single night and we became best friends-- she would lay on me if i was on the couch, she would lay at my feet, or behind me on the couch if i was sitting on the floor. she stayed by my side always.

over the months i would try to get kisses from her but all she would do was sniff at my face and i so lovingly referred to this as “snuffles” and so i’d ask for snuffles rather than kisses until she was comfortable enough to give kisses. i’ll never forget the first time she licked my face. i cried. it was like her way of telling me that she fully trusted me and we were each other’s person. 

for the past decade she followed me everywhere. she slept at my feet, or on the floor on her little bed right next to my bed, she would look for me if i had been gone out of her sight for too long and if she knew i was on the other side of the door she would whine and cry until i was with her again. if i left the house she would whine and complain and i’ve never had a dog greet me with such happiness or excitement the way that she did.

she was literally the dog of my dreams. she was my emotional support best friend. i could pick her up and hold her and i could feel pieces of my broken self slowly mend. she’s been with me through the traumatic experience that was my nana’s death and everything that followed. she was my one constant and i think i actually convinced myself that she’d live forever.

the room is too quiet without her snoring. 

i have so many little things that i did with her that i’ll never have again and i’m just not handling it well, to be quite honest. i haven’t felt this empty since nana died. i feel like i’m reliving that all over again, too. i feel like a hollow, shell of a person and i don’t know how to continue.

i have this new puppy, too, that i just got at the beginning of this month and i feel so guilty because he’s this precious little boy who deserves a mom that’s present and i’m not right now. thank god for jay. 

idk, i’m just really sad and still somewhat in shock and i feel like i’m trapped/stuck in this place and i don’t know what to do or where to go or how to get through this. i haven’t had to go through something sad without her in the last ten years so i don’t remember how to do it.

i’m just so sad.

[birdstooth]

This post is brought to you by Ring Home Security. Ring: for when that Karen shows up uninvited to your house looking for an “update” on their “order” 😒

✋🚫🙅‍♀️

But a look at his watch tells him that it’s past closing time.

Alexa, play

(Top 10 nostalgic 90’s bop for sure)

He stares at a much younger man than him

The kid from Home Alone stares back at him and says, "This is my house. I have to defend it."

He was closer to your age, and he reminded Cole of himself when he was younger.

Wait what is the actual age difference here? Is this legit, or is it like when ppl are low key patronizing you eg. When your co-worker in a higher position assumes you are their junior in every aspect of life and says stuff like “oh honey, when I was your age I did the same” and you have to be like “MA’AM… we’re actually the same age tho” (just an example… not from my life…)

“Why? And why do you know where she lives?”

Hal is literally a better guard dog than Loretta 😭 also, growing up my #1 thought was never talk to strangers, but if I ignored that, my #2 move would definitely be to interrogate the heck out of them haha. #3 would be to put on some swimming goggles and then spray some kind of caustic cleaning solution in their eyes

“Uh, I had a question about my order. It didn’t fully come in, and I was wondering how long to expect it.”

“Most people don’t come by her house for a business call. It’s kinda rude, Mr…?

Omg this is like in The Devil Wears Prada when it feels like we are supposed to think Anne Hathaway is being rude to her friends, but she’s actually just being normal and her FRIENDS are being rude????

So idk how it works in small town but imagine u list something on Etsy and are in the process of shipping it to a local address, but then the customer just shows up at your house unannounced like, “what’s the status of my order pls” 😬😬😬 is that not creepy??

Like, from Hal’s perspective, he’s TRULY the protagonist of Home Alone bc how does this “customer” even know the address?? Why didn’t email??! Most ppl don’t even like to phone customer service let alone physically show up at the HOME address of the business owner, not even the address of the store omg 😖😖😖😖 I’m sweating just thinking about how stressful this would be irl lmao

“Is this really about an order, Cole?”

EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH 👍 I mean, short of slamming the door in their face this is exactly how I would want an employee to react to a stranger or even legit customer showing up at my house where I live, that people shouldn’t come to unless they are invited or are delivering food.

“So you’re not going to help, I take it?”

Me: bitch, give me your order number and I will get back to you in 2-5 business days😤

a gentleman showing up unannounced at their home. It’s honestly strange.”

I feel gaslighted by my own brain rn lol bc I also honestly feel this is strange, but I also feel like I’m supposed to feel like it’s honestly not strange??? 🫠

“I don’t know how they do things in the city, but showing up at the owner’s house for a question that could wait until the morning is kinda concerning.”

DID HE LIE THO???

Cole had no idea who that man was at your door, or if it was a usual occurrence for him to eat your food, but he detested him.

LOL THIS GUY … he just showed up unannounced at a someone’s HOME address (not even their business/store address, ok), asked for an update on his “order”, then immediately did a Karen (“actually I would like to speak to the manager…tell me where the manager is, where is she”) and gave attitude when the employee asked some basic questions about why he was there…

and now he has the NERVE to think Hal is the suspicious one for literally just eating apples indoors??? Get outta here with that “usual occurrence” BS 🤦‍♀️

first of all, if u have concerns about this guy in her house wouldn’t u be like “is it a normal for this guy to be in your house” and not “is it normal for this guy to be EATING APPLES in your house”???

What if he wasn’t eating an apple Peanut Man, would that have made it less weird to you??😵‍💫

He’s sure that Hal may be still watching him, and parking further away, and walking to the barn wouldn’t be too much of a task.

“ugh, I bet that mfer is still watching me after my very not suspicious interaction. I better engage in some more secretive behaviour to show him that he has no right to be suspicious of me 😤😤”

“Bee, what cha got here?” He says a bit winded.

This is also me irl… after walking across the room to get a glass of water 😅

“The one eating apples in your house.”

Apples plural…. How long was this convo? Now I’m imagining they went back and forth for HOURS and there’s just a small stack of apple cores at the door bc Hal went through like 20 of them 😂

Also he’s really hung up on those apples, huh. If this was a different kind of story I’d be like, “ok so dude is definitely a Manchurian candidate sleeper agent and his trigger item is pomegranates, so since the apples look similar, he’s obsessively focused on them. I bet JFK gets shot in the next 5 chapters”

Me: rants about Peanut Man being weirdly fixated in the apple thing

Also me, as soon as I read “apple”: haha apple… that’s just like that scene from Tom Sawyer, with the apple!!! *proceeds to spend the rest of my work shift doodling the Tom Sawyer apple scene and also trying to figure out if referencing Tom Sawyer in 2023 is problematic or not*

👆85% of the dialogue here is from “Adventures of Tom Sawyer” by Mark Twain

(“For you, maybe” is from the helicopter scene from that Batman movie with Bane, and “special skills” from the Taken movie haha)

🍎🍎🍎

You went to my house? Why?” You spin around looking at him, and your arms cross over your chest. “Why did you go to my house?”

Yeah, exactly!!! That’s WEIRD, PEANUT MAN!!! I feel so vindicated rn😤😤😤😤

Alexa, play

(I think this was from the OG Spider-Man movie or the OC bc I remember hearing it a lot)

“Because we decided we were going to do something when you go off work.”

“No, you decided that. I can't believe you went to my house.”

“Woah, what is happening? Is Hal your boyfriend?”

Omg so this is like when u find evidence of financial crimes but when u call out the person they turn it around and say “no YOU are the criminal for going through my stuff” 😫😫😫

Peanut man invited himself to her house like those door to door Jehovah's Witnesses recruiters…

and when she is like why did u do that, he’s like, “whoa whoa whoa why am I being interrogated here? YOU are the one hiding a person eating apples in your house!!! What’s up with that huh? EXPLAIN THAT TO ME”

sheesh 😑😑😑

Also why is he like “I deserve this, I deserve that” 🙄 new theory: Peanut Man is a relative of Ransom Drysdale bc they are both entitled rich kids 😠

“And I still don’t know anything about you, and you don’t know anything about me.

Lol @ his info dump after this. It’s weird how people always say their fav colour during the get-to-know-you phase tho. Astrology always gets a lot of crap for being hogwash and unscientific but like y’all should really be going after the people who believe colours are a personality trait tbh.

Plus, even if they WERE indicative of something, I don’t trust self-reporting when it comes to colours bc I’ve literally seen someone look at magenta and call it “PURPLE” so yeah. Show me your fine arts degree and your portfolio before I trust you to accurately represent your favourite colour bro 😒

Did you know that the bumblebee should not be able to fly? Aerodynamically speaking, their bodies are too big for their wings, but they fly anyway.

It’s like how Barbie shouldn’t be able to walk with her bust to waist ratio or something, but not only does she manage to walk, she’s also a vet/marine biologist/race car driver/professional chef/astronaut and the president of the United States of America 🫡 #YouGoGirl

Stained Like Georgia Clay, Part 5

Summary:  Cole gets a bit confused

Pairings:  Cole Turner X Reader

Rating:  🥺🥺

Warnings:  none, 18+ ONLY

Word Count:  2.3K

Previous

Series Masterlist

Keep reading

[shurisneakers]

harmless (iv)

Summary: Bucky volunteers to go stop a small time villain, but nothing can prepare him for what exactly he has to deal with. (Bucky x villain!reader, drabble series)

Warnings: cursing, guns, mention of war, frustrated bucky, dramatic reader

Word count: 1.5k

A/N: good evening i’ve never been to any of the places i mention in this series so dont come @ me

if you have any ideas for future inventions/evil plans, lemme know! i might actually end up using them 

here’s my ko-fi if you’d like to support my writing <333

Previous Part || Series Masterlist

He spends the weekend doing nothing. It’s supposed to be relaxing. He finds it nauseatingly boring.

“No mini mission this week?” Steve asks him from across the couch. 

They’re supposed to be catching up on Star Wars but two prequels in and Bucky could feel himself lose his sanity. Anyone could present him with a random assortment of alphabets, call it a Star Wars species and he would have no reason not to believe them.

It’s not like he doesn’t like space. It’s just that he’s had enough of it and everything and everyone who came from it for the foreseeable future.

“No. Someone else is taking care of it.”

“Didn’t you volunteer for this?”

“I pulled myself out of the case.”

“I thought you were having fun.” 

Bucky’s head slowly turns to look at him. “Why would you think that?”

“I don’t know,” Steve shrugged. “Looked like you were.”

Well, he wasn’t. He likes it here at home, glued to the TV. Popcorn beside him, sweatpants on. Refreshing, calming, slow, mundane, and Jesus Christ, so fucking boring-

His spiralling is interrupted by the dinging of the elevator to the common floor. No one was allowed up there unless it was extremely urgent. Guests were barely allowed into the Tower as it was. 

It reveals the receptionist from downstairs, Marie. She’s always a little reserved, a little shy. But Bucky had seen her chew and spit out trespassers or anyone who dared to get on her nerve. He adores her.

“Hey, Marie,” Steve says while Bucky sends her a friendly wave in greeting. “What’s wrong?”

“There’s a hostage situation downtown,” she informs them. 

“Okay...” Steve drawls, waiting for a reason why this was an Avengers level threat.

“They’ve asked for Mr. Barnes by name.” She makes a mention towards him.

Bucky sits up straight. Bits of popcorn fall off his chest. 

“What?”

“They said, and I quote-” she looks down at her notepad. “‘Tell that grumpy motherfucker that I’m waiting for him and that he’s not getting out of this so easily because we have come too far.’ End quote. They’ve also told me to include a kissing emoji. And a skull.”

Steve and he look at each other.

“Well?” Steve prods. 

Bucky sighs and gets up to go get ready.

The entrance of Chuck E. Cheese is more crowded than he’d ever seen. He wasn’t even sure he’d seen people in the store before. If there were, they probably only came up till his waist. 

There are a few journalists, a few policemen standing together outside. Whispers of confusion and curiosity reigned free. 

Bucky gently pushes his way to the front. He gets a nod from a police officer who opens the door for him after a quick briefing. 

The place is darker than it usually would be. A trademark, it seemed. The blinds are drawn shut and most of the light is coming through whatever sneaks in through the crack. 

“Hey, Barnes.” Your voice is muffled by a mask that looks suspiciously like it was made out of classroom craft supplies.

There’s a person in a loose chokehold in your hand with a gun pressed against his head. Once again it looks straight out of a cartoon, purple with round disks lining its barrel. 

“What’s all this now?” He gestures around monotonously. 

“A hostage situation. Didn’t you get the memo?”

“Got that part down, genius,” he bites back. “But why?”

“Fucker kept harassing me when I was walkin’ down the street.” 

The guy’s helpless gaze met Bucky. 

“Catcalling me, stalking me.” You tighten the grip you have on him. “Call me darlin’ one more time, you son of a bitch. I dare you.”

He wasn’t impressed with his pleading eyes. He kinda felt like he deserved it. 

“Why’d you do it here?” The bright colours were starting to give him a heading. “And where are the staff?”

“It’s symbolic, Bucky,” you emphasise, “He deserves to be among other rat bastards.”

Of course.

“The staff?” he asks again. 

“Gave them thirty bucks and told them to leave. I’m not a monster.”

“Right.” He doesn’t bother refuting you. “Why’d you call me here?”

“Dunno.” You shrug. “Thought it’d be fun. You having fun yet?”

You shake the guy you’re holding. He gives a small whimper. 

Bucky doesn’t want to stop you. He had chugged enough Respect Juice in his lifetime to know that this guy probably deserved a threat or two.

Hell, he’d even help but you were more than capable of handling this on your own.

“Listen,” he sighed. “As much as I’m sure he deserves it, this is technically illegal and I’m required to stop you.”

“Sorry sarge, I thought you weren’t interested in playing this stupid game with me,” you mock, voice dropping to imitate him.

“I’m not.” It wasn’t entirely true. One Saturday with Jar Jar Binks had convinced him otherwise.

“Okay, so before you leave, do me a favour and call Hawkeye. I hear he looks mighty fine when he’s annoyed.”

His face involuntarily scrunched up. You were going to replace him with Clint? Clint?

He probably took it more as an insult than he should have.

“I’m not doing that.” Bless his foul mouthed friend, but he was a little shit who was too sarcastic for his own good. At least twice a week he’d say something stupid to Bucky and then take out his hearing aids when he tried to argue back. 

“You’re leavin’ me with no options here,” you groaned, using your thumb to flip a switch. The gun looks like it powered up, lights along the side turning red.

If he let you have this, it’d be a bad look for the Avengers.

New York man dies in Chuck E. Cheese lone hostage situation, unable to be saved by same superhero who tried to fight Thanos with a machine gun.

“Tell ya what,” he says instead, “If you kill him, there won’t even be a slight chance that you’ll see me again.”

Your grip on the gun falters.

“If I let him go...”

“I might consider coming back next week.” He’s trying to spin it, make it look like he’s the one with the upper hand here. “But you gotta let him go.”

You search his face for any signs of dishonesty.

“Let him go or you’ll never see me again.” It sounds too much like Clint’s arguments with his dog who brought a live squirrel into the house. 

“Fine,” you relent, a glint in your eye. ��but say goodbye to this fuckface.”

Before Bucky can open his mouth to shout in protest, you pull the trigger. The man clenches his eyes shut, face red.

He expects blood to be splatter across his face.

Nothing happens.

A barrage of bubbles floats into the room.

“I meant it literally,” you say, pushing him off you. “Say goodbye. He’s leaving.”

The man stumbles to the ground and Bucky doesn’t make any attempt to catch him. He scrambles to his knees, picking himself up and scurrying out the door to a hoard of reporters.

The door shuts behind him with the chime of a bell.

“You’re annoying,” Bucky states, giving a small sigh.

“I’m well aware of that.” You pull off the mask, wiping the sweat off your brow.

“Where is the agent assigned to your case?” 

“Dunno. Last I saw he was crying on the driveway of my lair. I just figured he’d pick himself up later so I left him there.”

Bucky’s nose twitches. 

“You weren’t actually going to kill him, were you.” He shrugs with his shoulder towards the door. It wasn’t a question, more a statement. He knew you wouldn’t. 

“I could have.”

“But you weren’t going to,” he repeats. 

“No,” you admit. “I wasn’t. But I’m glad to see you showed up.”

“You held someone hostage as leverage.”

“No, no. I held someone hostage and then asked to see you. They were completely unrelated.”

“You’re evil.”

“You jumped to conclusions,” you point out. “Would you like a trampoline next time? Maybe a pogo stick, you clown?”

He has a very real gun in his holster. His very real metal death arm aches to use it. 

“No one else agreed to come,” he deflects. 

“We both know that’s a lie. You were going to come back anyway.” You stuff the bubble gun back into the bag. “I’m deliciously irresistible.”

“I beg to differ.”

“Then beg.” You give him a smirk and he rolls his eyes. “Don’t worry, you win this round, sarge.”

He doesn’t say anything. He watches you remove your heist gear, revealing normal civilian clothes underneath.

You walk casually to the kitchen, intending to leave through the back door.

“But I can’t say I lost either.” You send him a wink before swiftly pushing open the door and leaving him behind.

He only watches you leave.

It doesn’t hit him until a few seconds later that he let a criminal out of his hands when there were several policemen and journalists outside.

He entertains the idea of chasing you down and handing you over. 

It takes him only a few seconds to decide that if they wanted you, they’d have to try themselves.

Next part 

[the-cult-of-russo]

The Other Woman

Pairing: Billy Russo x Reader 

A/N: Soooo. No one asked for this one and I have prompts in my inbox and a multi chapter Billy x OC story I'm working on. Yet… this happened. I was working on an assignment for uni and this popped into my head. Billy lives in my head rent free and I'm not even mad about it. Enjoy lmaooo 

Warnings: cursing, slight angst but not really, lots of fluff (literally and figuratively). It's just a bunch of cute bullshit, don't mind me looool 

---------

Your nails tapped the coffee cup as you sat outside the cafe deep in thought. There was only one thing on your mind. Billy was cheating on you. There was no other explanation for his behaviour the past week and the knowledge of what he'd done was eating away at you. It started a week ago. He'd slip out after work hours saying something came up. Sometimes he wouldn't even tell you where he was going and when you asked, he'd say 'work' as he avoided your gaze before slipping out. Billy couldn't lie to you, you knew him too well for that. You knew his tells and he didn't really lie to you. But you knew when he wouldn't look you in the eye that he wasn't being honest.

Then there was his phone. He'd be on it more than usual and it was distracting him. The night before, Frank had called him and you knew it was Frank because you'd seen the name popping up on his screen. You'd both been watching a movie on the sofa together as you tried to convince yourself that Billy wouldn't cheat on you. But when he excused himself to the bedroom, your curiosity burned. Why would he need to sneak off to speak to Frank? 

So you'd crept over to where the door was open by a crack and held your breath as you listened.

"Yeah, I know…. I'll just tell her I need to work again… I don't think she knows… yeah, yeah, I know… I can't wait for you to meet her, man. She's perfect,"

Those words felt like a slap to the face and a punch to the gut all rolled into one. Billy was cheating on you. Billy was cheating on you and Frank knew about it. Frank who was one of your closest friends, the one who introduced you to Billy in the first place. You'd gone back to the sofa as you dwelled in your misery and betrayal and when Billy had come back out with a wide smile on his face you'd felt sick. But you couldn't bring yourself to ask him, to question him or tell him what you'd heard. You were scared of what he might say. Scared of what this all meant. 

You and Billy had been together for almost two years now and you lived together. You knew of his past but never once had you felt insecure about being with him. He loved you, and you wholeheartedly believed he did. So this felt like it completely blindsided you and your head was all over the place. 

That morning Billy was gone by the time you woke which was nothing new since he often let you sleep when he got up to work. But you'd come to the cafe by lunch because you were drowning in your thoughts back at home. The home you shared with him. 

You blew out a breath, grabbing your cell from your pocket as you rang Anvil. You had a gut feeling and you wanted confirmation. His secretary picked up the phone and you sighed before asking something you dreaded the answer to.

"Hey, Annie. Is Billy there? I need to talk to him," you said softly. The older woman cleared her throat down the phone before speaking.

"He's not here, Y/N. He took the day off," she said warily. Well then. You thanked her quickly before hanging up, the lump lodged in your throat getting bigger. 

How could it all have gone so wrong? You stood, tossing the half drank coffee in the trash as you made your way home with a broken heart. You hardly expected Billy to be sitting on the sofa when you got home. But there he was in all his glory. A burgundy sweater with his jeans and boots, hair slicked back like always. You felt like you were hanging on by a thread. 

He smiled when he saw you, standing up and making his way over.

"I thought you had work," your cold tone stopped him in his tracks as he looked at you cautiously. 

"I took the day, had some things I needed to do," he replied easily. Things he needed to do. More like someone he needed to do. Tense didn't even begin to cover how you were feeling. 

"Look… there's someone here I want you to meet," Billy said hesitantly, glancing to the closed bedroom door. He really wouldn't just… The string of composure you were holding onto snapped.

"Is this some kind of joke?!" You yelled. He looked shocked, eyes wide and confused as he tilted his head.

"Uh… what?" He asked carefully.

"It's bad enough you're having an affair that apparently Frank knows all about but you've brought her here?! You want me to meet her?!" You were incredulous at his audacity. You wondered if he'd suffered a head injury a week ago or something. 

Billy blinked at you with his dark eyes for a moment before he burst out laughing. But when he saw your tearful eyes glaring at him, his laughter died instantly.

"You… you think I'm cheatin' on you?" He asked slowly, like he was talking to a toddler. Your brows furrowed watching him warily as he walked over to you. 

"You've been acting weird all week, Billy. And I heard you on the phone last night. I heard you talking to Frank," you muttered, hating how your voice wobbled. 

Billy looked stricken at how upset you were and wrapped his arms around you and you melted into him despite yourself. He stroked your hair soothingly with one hand as the other rubbed your back.

"I'm not steppin' out on you, Y/N. I'd never do that," he sighed. He moved away, cradling your cheeks as his obsidian gaze looked over your face like he was searching for the answers of the universe. 

"Not gonna lie, I'm a little offended by your lack of faith, but I have been actin' weird so I'll let it slide," he murmured with a soft smile. 

"But then… what was that all about?" You asked, deflating a bit as he wiped away the couple of tears that had fallen. He leaned in and kissed you softly, one of the rare tender kisses he'd give you if you were upset. You were incredibly confused and maybe also felt a little guilty that your mind went there.

When he pulled away, he shot you a grin, looking almost like a kid on Christmas which only furthered your confusion. 

"Wait here," he beamed, dashing off to the bedroom. You really felt like you'd been transported to another dimension where nothing made sense. But then Billy came back out with what you could only describe as a living, breathing, real life Pokemon in his arms. It was a Pomeranian puppy that just looked like a cloud with two shiny back eyes peeking out. 

You made a noise that you couldn't even describe. A mix of a whine and a coo that people often reserved for cute animals and babies as if they couldn't help themselves. Your feet took you over to where Billy was grinning at you and the ball of fluff was nibbling his hand. 

"Billy…" your voice was still a little high, a little pout on your face as you reached out and stroked the fluffy fur on the puppy.

"Meet Cotton Ball. Cotton Ball, meet your mom," he smirked, grabbing a tiny paw and making it wave at you. It was something to behold seeing Billy like this and you almost melted right into a puddle. 

"Wait so… this is the other woman?" You asked with a snort, feeling so utterly stupid for how your mind went there. Billy rolled his eyes with a laugh as he handed over the bundle of cloud to you. 

"Do you like her?" He asked hesitantly, looking almost unsure as he glanced from the puppy to you.

"I love her. Thank you, Billy," you murmured, cuddling the tiny puppy closer to you. 

"I uh… I know that you said you wanted a dog," he started, his shoulder rolling a little.

"Which you shot down immediately," you cut in, raising a brow at him. He chuckled, rubbing his beard a little with a nod.

"I know. But… I saw how disappointed you were and I decided I never wanted to see that look on your face again. Especially not 'cause of me. She hadn't been fully vaccinated and stuff so I've been waitin' to bring her home. Been to see her a few times to get her used to me," he shrugged, looking almost bashful which was a strange look for him. It was cute. 

"I love her. And I love you," you smiled wide at him. His insecurities seemed to wash away at your bright smile and he returned it, leaning over to kiss your forehead.

"I love you too. Come here, lemme show you somethin','' he took your free hand and led you to the bedroom. On the floor next to your bed was what looked like a queen bed shrunk down. It was a dog bed but a fancy one and the cozy sheets looked expensive too. There was also a basket filled to the brim with dog toys. You looked at him incredulously with a laugh. 

"And here I was thinking you weren't a dog person and you're spoiling her already," you teased. He chuckled, a slight pink tint to his face you couldn't remember ever witnessing as he bit his lip and smiled at you.

"Yeah well… my girls gotta have the best. And… I mighta got attached to her," he shrugged easily. 

"Billy Russo has a heart after all. Who knew?" You snorted. He gripped your jaw gently, giving your lips a firm peck before smirking down at you.

"Don't tell a soul or I'll have to kill you. I got a rep to keep," he smirked devilishly. You snorted again, shaking your head as you took the now sleeping puppy to her lavish bed and set her down. 

When you walked back over to Billy, you wrapped your arms around his middle and he responded in kind and held you close. 

"I can't believe you thought I'd cheat on you," he murmured, nuzzling your hair. You felt your cheeks heat up as you moved away and looked up at him.

"I know. I'm sorry, I just… you'd been acting weird and then the phone call, I didn't know what to think," you said softly. He frowned a little, tucking some of your hair behind your ear before resting a hand on your jaw.

"You know I love you, right?" He asked with a furrowed brow.

"I know. Honestly… I've never questioned it. I've never felt like that before. My mind just ran away with itself," you felt bad now and really fucking stupid but he had been acting weird. How were you to know that he was secretly procuring you the cutest puppy to exist? 

He kissed your forehead softly, lips lingering a moment before he cupped your cheeks, tilting your head to look up at him. His dark eyes were full of many emotions and you got lost in them.

"You're the only one I want. Ever since I met you, I never wanted anyone else. I ain't ever felt like this before but all I know is… I'm yours. I love you, Y/N. There'll never be anyone else," he murmured sincerely. You couldn't help the dopey smile on your face as you leaned up and captured his lips in a soft kiss. 

"I love you too, Billy. But… I will have to share you now with Cotton Ball," you teased against his lips. He chuckled, nipping at your bottom lip. 

"You'll always be my best girl," he grinned, rubbing his nose against yours.

One hand dropped to your neck, the other slinking around you and settling on your ass as he kissed you deeply. Just as you were really getting into it, he hissed, cursing and moving away as he lifted his foot. The foot that had tiny razor teeth latched onto it as the dog dangled off his toe. You couldn't help the bubble of laughter that came out of you as you pried the dog away from his foot.

"Feel like I might end up regrettin' this decision," he huffed, eyes narrowed at Cotton Ball who was now happily in your arms. He wasn't really mad though, his lips were slightly upturned as he reached out and rubbed the dogs tiny head.

"Awww. Is the big bad marine scared the lil doggy might bite his ass when he's having sex?" You mocked playfully.

Billy's mortified face had you in stitches. He looked like he'd not considered it until you said it and now he was glaring at the dog like she'd ready done it. 

"We're gonna need some boundaries," he muttered to the dog as he pointed at her, then his piercing eyes turned to you and you bit your lip to stifle your laughter.

"And for the record, I am a big bad marine and I ain't scared of a fuckin' dog," he smirked with a raised brow. You rolled your eyes goodnaturedly as you turned, dog in hand, and left the room.

"Mhmm. Just wait until I tell Frank how you're scared of a ball of fluff. Or the guys from Anvil. Or maybe I'll tell them just how much you love her already," you grinned, laughing when he gripped your hips and dragged you so your back pressed against his front. 

"What I tell you? You tell and I'll have to kill you. I don't wanna do that, I might just miss you," he murmured with a smile as he nuzzled your neck. 

"Russo's going soooft!" You teased with a laugh, squealing when his hands dug into your sides to tickle you. 

Honestly, you never really thought Billy would be a dog person. But you never thought he'd be the type to live with someone and here you were. You never thought he'd be the type to use the L word yet he did with you. He was full of surprises and this was way better than you anticipated. You never expected the other woman to be so cute.  

[deeisace]

I gave the money back, for the polari bible, in the end. I might finish it one day - in a year or two, knowing me, if I do get to it, which is doubtful, unfortunately, and then I'll ask if the commission-er would like it still, if I do - and it turns out that so far most of the letters my nana kept were between her dad and his sports friend who lived in Australia, but there were some interesting ones, and I'm fairly certain there's another box or two I haven't got to yet, dad doesn't know what's in all of the office cupboards and I haven't looked in the garage yet

There were diaries, I found, last time I went to dad's, that I didn't know she'd asked dad not to read - but I only read the one from the year I was born, anyway, which is mostly notes about how ill I was, visits she made to my parents and me - and one completely astounding entry, to me, wherein she says that my gran rang her, about the state that my drug-addled dad had left mum's flat in, such that she couldn't go home to her dogs, even, at least, after spending a month in hospital very slowing losing twins (and then the doctors keeping one, having lied to make the due date viable, to my 19-yo mum's sheer horror and confusion more than hope, I imagine. once she was well, they wouldn't let her home until she'd seen me in person, which must've seemed like needless torture. no part of me worked on it's own for weeks I'm sure, I didn't have eyes or ears or literally half my skin, never mind internal organs. I'm completely fine now, god knows how (months of medical intervention). anyway) - it's only three sentences, I can't remember, but she ends, "my son is not a drug addict" - tho he was, and continued to be so for the next 15 years at least, stopped some time around 2012 I think, and is now even coming off methadone, and has been sober over a year - I'm proud of him, for that bit, tho it's hard to think about some of the rest.

Astounding mostly because I'd never think of my gran as someone who would call to shout at anyone, ever, even once, even 27 years ago (after losing and regaining her middle daughter, and then losing her first grandchild, with the second continually at the time being brought back every day) - but she must've done. Bizarre to think about, she almost wouldn't say boo to a goose, now. Goose? Ghost? Hm.

Anyway. I don't really know what to do about nana's (and her dad's, and her mum's) letters and photographs and diaries and school workbooks and cards and wedding invites and driving licenses and all of this stuff, bits even from her grandparents

I can't really type all of that up, it doesn't all take to it, tho I know the family would probably like me to, especially my uncle cs he lives overseas and can't exactly pop in to see it ever - I'd need a year off work, to get it all done, and to carry on with Grandma's writing, and I can't at all afford that in the least

So I'll just carry on imagining sending an email to a publisher's, and not actually doing it, I spose.

I still haven't really got the wherewithall to do my dishes, tho it is slowly becoming an "executive dysfunction" thing again rather than an "overwhelming grief" thing, I'm glad to report.

Thinking again about how to go about approaching publishers with my grandma Millie's first book

There's no clear thing of, like she didn't leave all her writing specifically to anyone in writing - because she couldn't, because he was nominally disowned, she just made sure my grandad, her middle son, got her writing box, made sure of it before she died, you see, and then I'm the one that's typing everything and actually working on it - very slowly, mind, there's all sorts of short stories I haven't got to, and a whole handwritten second novel, tho I think I've finished all the poetry

But erm like

How do you say to a publisher, here is a book, it's not mine, it's my dead great-grandma's and she wrote it at least 30 years ago, d'you want to publish it?

I spose that, really, in more fancier words

I spose, they publish things posthumously all the time, even tho those are usually already famous authors like, rather than some random schoolteacher from the Wirral, y'know

Or, I'd've thought self-publishing is a thing, but I wouldn't the first how to go about that, and besides back to my first point, if I did that then surely the money ought to go to someone closer related to her than me, tho her eldest son has died, her middle son (my grandad) is disinherited so far as I know (tho I don't know if that was in writing or just by social/religious pressure), and I've never met her youngest son - but it's grandad that got the box, and me that's done the work

I just think other people should see this, I'm sure it's not family bias, it is really actually good - and there's 60+ years of short stories, for kids and for adults, and reams of poetry, and two (one and a half, maybe, I've not read the second one yet, cs her handwriting can be tricky and I've not had the time besides) novels

The first one is a good 500 pages, following all the different people living in one house in London in the early 1950s, all their lives and how they intersect and differ - some of it's autobiographical, I know, taken from her early married life, and my grandad said that she said it was the sort of idea that wouldn't leave her alone, she'd put it down and pick it up again for years and years, but it was typed up, and my copy is one we found on a floppy disk, so she kept at the same story for years and years - there's bits in there referencing her life in the 50s-60s, and I'm sure some bits that are about my mum if you know to look at it sideways, and that all happened in the 90s - but besides all the bits that mean a lot to me cs I sort of get to know her through them, it really is just a good read, honestly

Oh I don't know, I haven't got the time or brain to do anything about it right now anyway, I don't even have the wherewithal to get my fucking dishes done, so

I just looked in a bookshop on my way home, and it always makes me think, to go in a bookshop, her name should be up on the shelves too, with all these others

I don't know how to get that done by myself tho

[watchmegetobsessed]

Family Of Four - Tom Holland

a/n: i saw a video of tom and tessa right after i woke up and then BAM i just needed to write this little blurb! so here is tessa meeting your and tom’s baby for the first time!

pairing: Dad!Tom X Reader

word count: 1166

masterlist

Tom’s phone lights up the same time you hear the car pull up on the driveway. He presses a soft kiss to the sleepy newborn’s forehead in his arms before babbling to her as if she could understand every world he says.

“You ready to meet your bestie, Emma? Tessa is so excited to see you!” he coos as he hands her over to you, handling her tiny body so carefully, making sure she is secured in your arms before he pulls his hands back. “Gonna let them in. Want to go sit on the couch, love?” he hums, kissing your forehead before doing the same to Emma.

“Yeah,” you nod and watch him walk out to greet Harry who’s been dog sitting Tessa since your water broke exactly a week ago and you rushed to the hospital. You and Tom both agreed that it might be best if Tessa spends a short vacation at her uncle’s house when you bring Emma home. It’s not that you’re afraid she might to something to the baby, you just knew you’d be exhausted and stressed about having Emma home for the first time. It was easier to only worry about your recovery and just one newborn baby in the house rather than adding an extremely cuddly and nosy dog into the equation.

Emma yawns in your arms, her little hat has slid down to her eyebrows so you fix it before gently caressing her cheeks. You drink up the rest of your tea before moving to the living room. You hear Tom greeting Harry and then his usual sweet talk hits your ears, the one he always gives Tessa when he sees her for the first time.

“Who is my good girl? Hmm? Did you miss me? I missed you so much!” Tessa’s feet tippy-tap on the concrete outside the front door and judging from the sounds, she is over the moon to be back home.

“How is Y/N doing?” Harry asks while Tom probably rubs Tessa wherever he can reach her, trying to make her excitement die down a little before they get inside.

“She is doing great! Getting used to the new sleeping schedule, but things are going good.”

You smile at his words, because you’re not the only one with a new sleeping schedule, especially since Tom is always the one to check on Emma when her cries fill the room through the baby monitor and if it’s not time to feed her, he always tells you to go back to sleep and let him handle it. He has been on full daddy duty and you had no doubt he would be the most wonderful dad to ever walk this earth.

The boys talk outside a little longer before you see the front door opening and Tom sticks his head inside. You smile up at him, Emma nestled comfortably in your arms.

“Hey, you ready for Tess?” he asks softly.

“Yeah, it’s time for their first meeting,” you chuckle. Tom nods and disappears from your vision. Then Harry walks in, greeting you sweetly before he kisses Emma’s head.

“Look at her! She’s already changed so much!” he beams, watching his niece in awe.

“Right? She looks less like an old man,” you joke. Your daughter was the most beautiful thing you’ve ever laid your eyes on, but that didn’t stop you from cracking a joke that she was so wrinkly when she was born, she resembled an old man. The wrinkles have smoothed out a little by now and though she is the queen of weird faces, especially when she is creaming her diapers mercilessly, you’ve never seen anything like her before.

Harry sits on the other end of the couch and pulls his phone out to tape the first meeting. Tom’s fans have been begging to see this interaction since you announced your pregnancy with a sweet post on Instagram in your third trimester, especially because it featured Tessa. During your pregnancy Tessa was obsessed with your belly, she would always snuggle close to it in bed or on the couch, as if she was guarding the baby from day one and on the photo you posted, she had her head resting on your bump as the two of you were cuddled up on the couch. People went crazy over how cute it was, the picture got ten million likes within the first thirty minutes and it’s been still going up since then. And now it’s time for their first official meeting.

“Tess, gently! Calm down!” Tom calls out as he appears again, this time holding Tessa’s collar so she doesn’t run free, but it’s pretty clear that she is about to jump out of her fur, probably already smelling Emma. Her eyes quickly find you on the couch and the little bundle of joy in your arms and Tessa whines to her daddy to be let free, but Tom holds onto her tightly.

“Tessa, calm down. You have to be gentle with mommy and Emma,” he warns her again and though her jumps die down a little, her tail keeps wiggling like crazy as her eyes never leave the baby in your arms.

“Hi Tessa, I missed you so much!” you coo at her and she licks her face, nudging your leg as her way of saying that she missed you too. You share a special bond with Tessa, you still remember the first time Tom brought you home and you met her. It’s like you became instant best friends, Tom often complained that whenever you were sleeping over Tessa preferred to snuggle up to you instead of him.

“Tess, meet your new sister, Emma,” Tom softly tells her, holding her back with two hands as you bring Emma closer to her, still keeping a little distance at first.

All three of you watch the interaction in silence, Tessa sniffs the baby around, getting used to the new smell, a few more whines fall from her mouth before she slowly calms down and nudges Emma’s bum in your arms gently. When Tessa has clearly calmed down, Tom carefully lets go of her but still stays close in case she needs to be pulled back, but you know Tessa would never hurt Emma, she is already just as obsessed with her as you are.

“I’m literally about to cry,” Tom whispers, when Tessa lays her head across Emma’s lap, as if she was guarding the tiny baby.

“Keep it together, Daddy,” you chuckle, but you can feel your eyes watering as well.

Harry snaps a few more pictures once he stops recording and he manages to take one that resembles the photo you posted on Instagram about the pregnancy announcement. It’s perfect to announce Emma’s arrival that’s been kept a secret so far. Tom puts a black and white filter over it before writing a sweet caption, letting the world know that now you are a family of four: Tom, you, Emma and Tessa.

Thank you for reading, please like and reblog if you enjoyed it!

[babylooneytoonz]

Curly Hair and Blue Eyes, Just like yours

Pairing: Clark Kent x Fem! Reader

Summary: You decide to tell Clark Kent about the daughter he never knew he had with you, and he only wishes he had found out about her in a better situation.

Warnings: Kidnapping , Violence, Angst

[My Masterlist]

"Baby, we gotta go, come on out now," You called from the kitchen, having stuffed Piper's lunchbox into her tiny little bag that you had now propped on your shoulder. Little feet raced down the staircase of your home and you smiled, when you saw the little blue eyed girl, her hair neatly settled into two pigtails on either sides of her head, poked her head in. You knelt down in front of her, helping her put her bag on.

"Mommy? I wanna have Uncle Jerry's apple pie— " You smiled as you stood back up, quickly kissing the top of her head, as you took her hand in yours, your fingers clasping against the five year old's tiny ones.

"Well, if you are a good girl at school today, mommy might think of baking you one instead for dessert," you smiled down at her as the two of you walked out of your tiny two bedroom apartment in a tiny, cramped street in Metropolis where you had lived for years. You buckled her into the passenger seat, laughing to yourself listening to her as she had decided that now was the time to speak to her doll.

Being a single mother, there was so much on your plate always. Your days started with leaving Piper at Kindergarten, heading straight to the grocery store where you worked after leaving her. Four hours later you drove back to her school, picked her up and brought her back to the store with you, where you fed her and let her play around at the back, until 4 pm when finally, you ended your shift and the two of you drove your way back home.

You straightened the crease on your shirt, leaning against the fence along with the other young mothers who were waiting to collect their wards from kindergarten, just like you were until the bell rang somewhere inside, and a flurry of kids arrived, like bees floundering in the air.

You knelt down, throwing your arms out at the sight of your daughter who pushed herself into you, and you kissed her on her nose, and she giggled.

"Mommy, guess who vi- vitit— " She stammered, trying to say the word but she couldn't.

"Visited?" You asked, smiling at her, and she nodded.

"Visi- ted today."

You pulled yourself up, taking her hand in yours as you began walking with her towards the car parking, glancing down at her every ten seconds or so.

"Superman!!" She excitedly screamed, clapping as you opened the car door for her. The smile that was earlier on your lips dropped at the mention of him, and instead, a hollow look now ghosted your eyes as you regarded her briefly, giving her a fake smile and nodded, buckling her into the passenger seat, "Hm, I see. Why was he there?"

The car ride back to the store was a quiet one from your end, where only Piper spoke telling you of how the Superman had visited the kindergarten today, spent time with the children, telling them how they all were strong enough to grow up and be Supermen and Superwomen themselves. There were times when you snorted, not win disbelief, quickly masking it with a fake laugh, listening to your daughter talk about him.

You hated him, atleast you thought you did. You realized, the more you listened to her describe, Clark Kent was just the same— just the way you remembered him to be six years ago, when you had last met him.

How were you supposed to tell the innocent little child what Superman used to be to you?

Six years back, he had left you, leaving you broken hearted, and had walked out of your life, without giving you a reason as to where had you gone wrong in your relationship with him. No matter how much you tried, pleading and begging him to reconsider, it appeared as though he had already made up his mind.

"[Y/N], this will hurt for a while, and then you will be okay, trust me."

How the hell were you supposed to trust him when he was the one responsible for the excruciatingly painful heartbreak that you had witnessed?

You watched him, followed the news, watching every single success that Superman attained, his face plastered to your television screen, his charming boyish smile tugging at your heartstrings but you still felt happy, knowing how he was saving the world. Although, ironically, he had done nothing to save your crumbling relationship.

You would have still forgiven him, had you not found out, just a month after he had left you, that you were pregnant.

At first, you thought that Clark deserved to know— after all, he had every right to be in his child's life, and you were no one to take that boon away from him, or your child. Sucking it up, you had forced yourself to go to the Daily Planet building, to talk to Clark, to tell him what you had found out.

You didn't. You couldn't. Because he looked happy with Lois Lane. So you left.

Your home smelt like a freshly baked apple pie, as you stood against the kitchen counter, the baked goodie laying in front of you just like you had promised your little girl. Outside, in the living room, you could hear the television on, as Piper watched her favourite cartoon, her chuckling audible to you, which made you smile. Your golden retriever, Berry, nudged her head against your leg, causing you to bend slightly so you could pet the top of her head before she scampered off to be with her best friend once more.

"Piper, baby. Berry wants to go out."

The little girl dashed into the kitchen upon hearing your words, her excited eyes glimmering with delight as she began looking up at you.

"Mommy, can I take her out?"

You thought for a minute, planning to refuse at first but then you gave up, because the two of you, your baby girl and your furry baby both looking at you with big, googly eyes that you couldn't resist.

"Fine but stay close to the front gate, and inside. There's a lot of traffic outside, love. Mommy's gonna be watching you from the window here, alright?" You gave her a smile, watching as the two of them walked off, the dog first, followed by the girl— smiling at how considerate the big dog was around her tiny form.

While you were readying the plates, setting the dinner table, you momentarily made sure to glance out of the window, from where you could see them both, running around, being the big goofballs the two of them were. What you failed to see, was a dark hooded man, standing by your fence, watching the girl carefully, observing.

A few minutes passed by, and you decided that it was time to go out and fetch the two back inside, when you heard Berry mediating between loud barks, and pained whines. Your eyes widened, as you ran out of the house, on bare foot, the pads of your feet grazing against the grass when you saw two men, throwing your daughter into the back of a car, Berry having tied ruthlessly by her neck to the tree, the hold so hard that she was almost suffocating. By the time you ran to the gate the car was already turning down the street, until it finally disappeared out of view and you fell to your knees, screaming, crying, your heart pounding inside your chest. Someone had taken your daughter.

Finally, after two minutes of screaming your heart out, you leapt to your feet freeing Berry from the leash that had her pinned to the tree, tears still streaming down your face as you ran inside, grabbing your phone and your car keys.

There was only one who could bring her back, and there was nothing stopping you from asking from his help, because only he could do it— find her from whichever corner of Metropolis they were hiding her and bring her back.

At some time between you driving recklessly through the streets of Metropolis to the time you finally reached the Daily Planet building once again, the sky started pouring, heavily. You parked your car in the parking lot opposite to the building and without caring, you stepped out into the rain, racing your way into the building.

"Clark Kent, please, it's urgent," you literally slammed your moist fists against the desk of the office receptionist, her eyes widening when she saw the condition you were in— your hair and your outfit drenched in the rain, sticking to you, your body trembling with cold.

"Uh, sure, but who do I say is asking for him?"

"[Y/N], and please, tell him it's urgent."

You began rubbing the side of your arms fervently, trying to keep yourself warm, as the receptionist pulled the receiver to her ears, and looked up at you briefly, "Mr. Kent, a Miss [Y/N] is here. She, uh, says it's urgent, and it does look like she is in a state of.. emergency."

The receptionist disconnected the phone, slowly placing the receiver back. She looked up at you, and informed you that Clark was on his way now to see you. You began biting the insides of your cheeks— a sudden nervousness killing you from the inside. How were you going to tell him? What if he refused to help you? Where was Piper? All kinds of depressive thoughts began to sneak into your head when his silhouette finally appeared, his eyes falling on you as he was walking towards you.

Clark Kent pushed his glasses nervously over the bridge of his nose, his heart racing. He wasn't sure, why after all those years you were here to see him, and that too, this urgently. He hoped you were okay. When he stepped out of his office, his eyes fell on you. His heart broke, yet again, on the sight of you— you were dripping from head to toe, your body shivering due to the cold. His pace increased, until he was literally running towards you, his eyes fixed on yours.

"Clark." You began, only to find yourself give in, to nerve wracking sobs as he pulled you into his embrace, letting his arm around your shoulder, pulling you into him, as he soothingly rubbed your back, thousands of memories flooding back into both your minds.

"Listen to me, there's something you should know," you hicupped, still crying hysterically. Clark slowly walked you away from the crowd that had now gathered around you and him until the two of you were in an empty cabin. He lowered you in a leather chair and pulled one in front of you, letting his palms rest on your knees, "Whats wrong?"

"I didn't know who else to go to, I -- Clark," you swallowed the lump forming in your throat, you didn't know how to begin. You closed your eyes and took a deep breath, or tried to, but the heaviness of your chest couldn't let you breathe, "Someone took my daughter, right from in front of my eyes. Two men, dressed in black, they came and they took her, stuffed her into their car, Clark, I don't know where to find her, what to do."

Clark's face fell— it was as though someone had cut off his oxygen supply— what else was he expecting? That you would wait for him all your life? He looked at you in a strangled way, his eyes narrowed at you, but he wasn't angry. He just looked hurt. The hands that were resting on your knees slowly pulled away and you winced at the loss of the contact, looking up at him through your teary eyes. He pressed his lips together and parted his lips, "Do you have any idea who could have —"

"No, I— Who could mean harm to an innocent little five year old, Clark? She can't even hurt a fly." You cried.

"Five.. five year old?" Clark croak, as if something was lodged inside his throat.

"Five years, and a few months to be exact.." you whispered, as your fingers gently pulled out your wallet, and inside was a picture of your beautiful little girl, her long black hair, just like Clark's curled atop her matted head. She was a true replica of him, having his luscious curls, big blue eyes and the kindest of the smiles. You slowly extended the wallet towards him, your hand trembling as your heart beat like a supersonic train. "That's— that's her, Piper ..Kent?"

Clark stepped abruptly from the chair, his fingers clasping your wallet. Weakly, he looked down at the photo, the realization sinking into him. The eyes that looked back at him from the photo were the same eyes, he didn't need proof to believe that she was his.

"Clark, I know you have questions but this isn't the time, please help me, they took her! I — I need Superman.. she needs Superman.." You pleaded him, with your eyes, looking at him.

The next minute, Clark had his hand on your shoulder, as he was walking you out of the cabin, his eyes not meeting yours.

"Get back home, incase they call for ransom or something. I will get her back."

What you didn't see when you were on your way out, was the way Clark broke down after you left. He lowered himself to his knees, watching you walk off until he had both his hands pulling at his own hair, his eyes glowing with the heat vision, his body suddenly on fire.

Two days passed, and with these two days, whatever sanity that was left within you, drained out, anxiety taking over completely. You went to the Daily Planet, looking for Clark, but he wasn't there— of course he was out looking for her. But it still didn't let you rest any easier.

By the time it was nightfall, you were pacing around in your living room, your kitchen a mess, dirty utensils from two days back still soiling the sink. Your hair were a mess as you had not bothered even running a hand through them, for you were completely shaken and distraught.

Just when you thought that your mind will probably burst with the amount of worry that was eating at you, the doorbell rang. You ran— it was like running a life marathon— as you unlocked the door, finding Superman standing at your doorstep, holding Piper in his arms, the little girl having her arm locked around Superman's neck, her face glimmering with excitement.

"Oh my fucking—" you cursed under your breath, sniffling in retaliation to the sight and n front of you as you threw out your arms towards her, "Piper, baby! You're okay! Jesus, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I should have been careful— "

"Mommy, do you know that Superman saved me from the bad men?" You gasped, almost wide eyed as Piper leapt into your arms, and you buried your face into your daughter's hair, nuzzling your nose against her face, holding her tight, as though if you didn't, she would slip away. What suprised you, and sort of, made you smile was her innocence — she was kidnapped and probably locked up somewhere and yet all she could think of or talk about was how Superman had saved her life. Your eyes flew to his, meeting his halfway, you could see how exhausted he looked, and a look passed between the two of you— a look of love that had been buried years back— the two of you didn't need words, and the two of you could feel how the other one felt — probably a mix of relief, anger and a lot of questions.

"Yes, he did—" You smiled, "Are you okay, Piper? Love, are you hurt?"

"She's— " Superman began speaking, and you looked at him once again, "She's fine. She isn't hurt, I made sure."

You bit your lip, your fingers toying with your daughter's curls. Finally, you stepped inside, leaving the door wide open, glancing at Superman with the corner of your eyes, "I know you want to to talk. Please, come in."

"Mommy? Is Superman staying with us tonight?"

"Piper, darling, would you go and check on Berry? She's not feeling well ever since you left—" You placed her on the floor, carefully eyeing her for any injuries, but much to your relief, there were none.

"Alright, mommy."

"You should have told me, [Y/N]. She's mine too!"

You gasped, almost inaudible, trying to suck in a mouthful of air as you fixed yourself by the window, looking out, almost cautiously, your mind still in a state of alert. When Clark saw this, he walked up to where you were, staring out of the window, and you saw his reflection behind you, his hands on your shoulders as he turned you around, "they won't come back, [Y/N]. I made sure of it."

"Who were they? What did they want?" You frowned, his hands still on your shoulders but you didn't seem to mind.

"They weren't anyone of importance, they did it for ransom, having randomly decided to kidnap her and ask you for money. How were they supposed to know they kidnapped my daughter? Like hell, I didn't know I had a daughter," he almost froze, letting his hands drop, his eyes now looking at you for answers.

You took a deep breath, running your hands through your hair, almost pulling at them in an attempt to straighten them a little, but Clark grabbed your arm, his grip on your wrist as he lowered it, showing you how his patience was wearing thin.

"You left me, Clark. Just because I was pregnant, it didn't mean I was selfish to use her as a means to get you back, or to burden you with her responsibility." You hissed, trying to pull on your wrists, but of course, how were you to match the Kryptonian's strength?

"I would have never left if I knew—"

"And this, Clark, is exactly why I didn't want you to find out. I didn't want you to decide to stay with me because.. of a baby," you had begun pacing in the living room now and Clark just stood by the window, his arms crossed against his chest, "You would have hated me one day." Suddenly, you stopped speaking and your eyes widened, your head sharply turning towards him and a thin frown appearing on his sublime features. The next minute, you were glaring at him, poking him in the chest with your index finger, "Before accusing me of hiding this from you, how would you justify you leaving me without giving me the reason? You didn't care about me, you didn't care about the fact that I cried myself to sleep for weeks, inwardly tortured for months. How very hypocritical of you, Mr. Kent."

He grabbed your hand, however his hold remained gentle on you. Very slowly, he twisted your arm behind you, stepping closer, in a way pinning you to the wall behind, looking down at you. He then scoffed— a dry, sarcastic scoff.

"I left you because I had no choice. Luthor took Lois—"

"Oh, great, Lois, and that's why you left me—"

"He took Lois because he thought Lois is the woman I'm with. You realize what this means? If he knew or find out it was you, he would have thrown you off that building. I couldn't have lived with that. I did it for you!"

Tears streamed down your face, his words finally sinking in. You parted your lips and all that came out was a gush of air. Clark placed his hand on your cheek, reluctantly, half expecting for you to push it away, but you didn't. His fingers felt hot against your skin, like embers as he cupped your face, his fingers gently brushing against your cheek.

"I came..one month after you left me .. to your office ..when I found out.. wanted to tell you," He nodded, blinking as he waited for you to continue. "I saw you with Lois. You looked happy, the two of you."

"Lois is just a friend, I never—" he frowned, his hand dropping from your cheek as he ran his fingers through his own hair, his exasperation evident, "It was always you."

"I can't believe this, Clark. I fucking cried myself to sleep thinking you hated me," you sniffled, falling back against your couch like a lifeless corpse, bringing both your palms to your face as you buried yourself to those, hiding yourself from his intense eyes, "That girl—" You looked up, your cheeks now stained with your tears, "she is more you than she is me. In every single way. I needed you Clark Kent."

"I'm sorry, I should never have —"

"Six years, Clark. You missed her birth, you missed watching her grow up, she was without you, and we were okay, you know? And now this happens and my life is a mess once again—"

He looked at you, dejected, his glances mediating between the floor to you and then back down to his hands. Finally, he cleared his throat, and you looked up at him, looking at the beaten Superman in front of you. He was everything but the strong superhero you knew in that split second. He was a broken man— just a man— in a spandex costume.

"If I could go back and change what I did, I'd do it in a blink of my eye."

You smiled, and replied, "It's easy to say. It wasn't your fault, though. It was perhaps, we were never meant to be."

His face fell, and he didn't try to hide it from you. You bit your lip, tasting the metal on your tastebuds as he slowly took a step away, his eyes moving from you to the stairs, perhaps hoping that he could see Piper before he left.

"If something ever happens, if you need me, I'll be there, [Y/N]. I couldn't be there when you needed me, but I'll be there from now until you don't need me anymore."

Would it ever happen when you won't need him any more? You never truly moved on, no matter how hard you tried. The void remained, in your heart, in your life and in your cold bed. Six years , and you couldn't make yourself fall in love with anyone, because no one was Clark Kent, they could never be him.

"Leaving us again, are you?" You wiped your tears with the back of your palm, and he looked at you, suprised as though he had heard you wrong.

You smiled and you looked down at your hands, they were trembling as you rubbed them fervently against the fabric of your thigh, and stood up, hesitantly at first, before a little confidence built up inside you when you saw the softness in his eyes as you walked towards him. This time you pinned him to the wall, and the taller man let you, without even trying to attempt to escape or show you just strong he was. He let himself be entrapped as you grabbed his chin, rather unceremoniously, yanking his head so he was looking down.

"Don't you want me to—" he stopped talking, finally realizing what you were trying to say to him.

"Six years, I watched you on TV, and that's just it. That was the nearest I had to feeling anything. Is this what true love is? You know someone isn't coming back yet you can't stop loving em?"

He smiled, but didn't reply. He just kept gazing into your eyes.

"Go on, go. The world needs you, Superman."

You smacked him on his chest, watching his eyes to shift to confusion once again. Awkwardly, he tilted his head to his side and shook his head, only his chin moving.

"And you? You don't?" He asked.

"No." You smiled smugly, watching his face fall, so you hurriedly added, "I need Clark Kent, not Superman. He is very broody, and I am scared of him. I would rather have my Clark back."

He gave you a toothy smile, and in that minute, he wasn't Superman anymore. He was your Clark Kent, only in a spandex costume. He wrapped you in your arms , pulling you to him, bringing down his lips to the side of your jaw, as he kissed your chin at first, and then moved on to your lips. Your lips met his, after a long time, and your insides exploded, your hands flying to the back of his head.

"Mommy!"

Clark cleared his throat, and you immediately pulled away wiping your lips and the two of you looked at each other, both your cheeks a slight crimson. You two felt like a child again, having been caught stealing cookies and Clark smiled, sitting down until he was squatting on his heels. He threw out his hand towards Piper and she ran up to him, settling herself on his thigh.

Clark looked up at you, and so did she, and you couldn't help but give them a warm smile back, because the sight was melting your heart. It was like a mini me, Clark and his little female version, looking right at you with that big blue eyes.

"What?" You asked Clark.

"Shall we tell her? Shall I tell her?"

"No, Superman." You changed your voice, grabbing him by his Cape as you pulled him up, "I don't want targets on her back. Why don't you just go on out, change into some human clothes and then we can tell her who her father is."

"But sweetheart, it's a little too late for that don't you think?" He pointed towards Piper, and your head shot towards her, you jaw almost dropping when you saw her eyes turn orange due to the heat vision, just for a bit before they turned blue again, and Superman slid his arm through your waist.

"It's okay, let them find out, Superman has a family. They still can't touch a hair on your head, not until I'm around. And I'm not..going anywhere."

"No, sweety," you gave him an apologetic smile, "that's not what I'm worried about. I'm worried she's gonna go to school and boast around how her dad's Superman."

"Well, they are going to find out, one day or the other."

"You're right, Clark." You nodded, as the two of you watched her scamper off, chasing Berry, you leaning on to him.

A/N- Fuck, I realised I really got carried away with this one. I think this is the longest one shot I've ever written? I thought I'd break it into parts but oh well. I hope you guys liked it.

[free-pool-trash]

happiness - peter maximoff

yay a new peter fic <3 i was feeling a little unmotivated for a few days (since our boy wasn’t in episode 8 at all :/) but im back 😎 although im back in school so i might be on and off for a while 😩✋🏻

!!!it’s not a songfic those lyrics at the start are just my inspo!!!

word count: 5k <3 😳

warnings: maybe swearing but i dont think so i cant remember, peter being sad, angst, but mostly fluff, WandaVision spoilers maybe??? I pretty much made up this plot so idk, endgame spoilers, reader was an avenger, kissing but it’s not graphic😽 probably some mistakes yk how it is

feedback is appreciated <3

tagging: @enchantedcruelsummer (should i make a peter maximoff taglist? let me know and I’ll do it)

masterlist

haunted by the look in my eyes that would’ve loved you for a lifetime

leave it all behind

& there is happiness

Loneliness had always been something that plagued him. That and a plethora of other negative emotions.

There wasn’t a day that went by where Peter Maximoff wasn’t made to feel like a loser. Admittedly, he’d never held himself to a high standard, he grew up thinking that he’d never fit in anywhere and eventually that thought mutated into a lifestyle as he began isolating himself from the world around him, either far too good or heartbreakingly not enough to be a part of that crowd.

He liked spending time with himself. Nobody else knew him the way he knew him, and still, he found nothing but an overwhelming hollow space where his deepest most important hopes, aspirations, dreams and self discoveries should have resided.

Peter had always put this feeling of exile down to the fact that he was a mutant, it was the most likely explanation, right?

It was only when he’d decided to join the X-Men that he finally came to the conclusion that maybe the rest of the world wasn’t the problem, nor was his mutation the problem, but that he himself was the problem. For even in a school full of people exactly like him he was still the same loser that he was in his mother’s basement.

And he was under no illusions that that was exactly what his teammates saw in him; nothing. No potential. Just a space holder to bring the numbers up.

Super speed was incredible. That’s how Peter acknowledged jobs well done, he praised his speed but never himself. He just saved Charles and Erik from a room full of armed guards? No that wasn’t him, that was simply his speed. He saved an entire mansion full of people from a potentially fatal explosion? Nothing special, Kurt probably could’ve done the same.

Forget all of the good deeds and saved lives because the bottom line of it all, to him at least, was that all he was good for was cheeky one liners and hopeless kleptomania.

His life took a turn for the worse when he found himself being mind controlled in an alternate universe. And even then, he was playing the part of someone that wasn’t him, the thought humbled him, reconnected him to his roots and reintroduced him to his life long philosophy that he’d never be anything more than a social pariah. Not even an alternate reality could accept him for who he was. There wasn’t a warm welcome and despite not knowing what was going on, the definition of “imposter” or the weirder, “recast”, still shot to kill.

He settled on the notion that he was an inter dimensional waste of space. At least in WestView he could be blissfully ignorant, let the real him be drowned mercilessly in favour of being an integral part of someone’s life- to feel important, even if it wasn’t real.

When WestView fell apart he was completely lost. In every sense of the word. In a new world with no way home and as it turned out, nobody was looking for him. Although he didn’t expect anyone to care, it still stung that nobody did. He always hoped that one day Erik would step up as a father figure for him, this; getting kidnapped and smuggled into a different dimension, seemed like the perfect moment for that epic father son moment, but it wouldn’t surprise Peter if his father has yet to notice his disappearance.

But then, seemingly out of nowhere, he came into contact with a beacon of hope. A guiding star that might possibly lead him to an existence consisting of something other than misery and self loathing.

It offered him a choice; return to being the self proclaimed loser he was known as or start fresh as someone new and mysterious, with first impressions yet to be made and conclusions about him yet to be drawn. Peter had known himself to be rash in the past, when it came to making decisions he had the tendency to act impulsively, never putting too much thought into how his decisions would affect his life in the long term. The choice before him now is no different, he knew exactly what he wanted going forward, however selfish the choice may have been, the second he realised it was an option his heart was set on it.

That previously mentioned beacon of hope arrived to him in the form of a girl, in the form of you. An ex-avenger and close friend of Wanda’s, you were hired by S.W.O.R.D to help them clean up the more ‘sensitive’ fallout that the fall of WestView brought about. Obviously, they were sticking you- the only other avenger with magik- on babysitting and rehabilitation rather than letting you go after your best friend who had gone completely off the rails. Having said that though, you didn’t want anyone else handling him.

You hadn’t watched WandaVision, nor were you even aware that any of it was going on until it had reached a boiling point and you got a call from Monica Rambeau, she’d begged you to come and wait on the edge of town while she went in and act as her eyes on the outside along with Jimmy Woo.

That’s where you stayed until the hex broke down.

As soon as the barrier came down the base you manned was overrun by an armada of terribly confused and distressed citizens, Monica and Wanda were not among them but in their places stumbled in Darcy and the man playing the role of Pietro.

Jimmy appointed himself to Darcy, who in all honesty seemed relatively unscathed by the situation while you made a beeline for the dirty blonde charading as your former, dead teammate.

Peter was, to put it simply, completely enthralled by you as soon as you’d strolled over to him and in the moment he’d put his almost magnetic attraction to you down to the fact that you were the first friendly face he’d seen upon breaking free of Agatha’s possession.

But one thing in particular struck him; you’d asked him his name. You hadn’t immediately assumed him to be some knock off Pietro, as everyone else had. You acknowledged that he had his own personal identity and despite how often he caught himself hating the person he was, he found that when it was torn away from him that he wanted it back. The simple question you posed gave him the opportunity to regain his identity.

“Peter. My name is Peter.” He answered you, almost unsure of himself and you found your interest in the man piqued even further.

He remembered with perfect clarity the way you’d offered him a grin, tilted your hand, extended your hand and said, “Well it’s nice to meet you, Peter. Come on, I’ll be your babysitter for the next while.” There was something about the way you’d laughed after saying the words and the slight, yet unmistakable, glint of mischief in your eyes that had him captivated from the get go.

With you came a whirlwind of new emotions. After only a few weeks of knowing you, Peter noticed he wasn’t as lonely as he had been back home. He didn’t hate himself half as much either, he wasn’t entirely free of self deprovative tendencies and maybe he never would be, but undoubtedly, he likes himself more in this world than he ever had in his last. He thanked you and your determination to make him “a functioning member of society” for that.

It didn’t feel belittling, the way you helped him. You hadn’t dragged him to your favourite mall every weekend just to taunt him about how he couldn’t stop himself from stealing something. Even the very first time, when he’d sped away from you and returned within a second adoring a pair of freshly stolen sunglasses. Your only reaction had been to laugh and casually place your hands on both sides of his face.

“At least remember to take the tag off next time, speedy.” You’d muttered, subtly pulling the tacky stickers off the arms of his shades. No, you weren’t dragging him sight seeing or forcing him to help you go clothes shopping because you thought he was a loser who needed reforming you were doing it because you were a true friend who wanted him to succeed.

The pair of you seemed like two peas in a pod. Which to be fair, you were. Peter Maximoff intrigued you in every sense of the word. He was new, quite literally other worldly, he was kind, he was funny, he was perfectly mischievous and completely wonderful.

What caught your eye the most was the way he held himself, as if he wasn’t entirely comfortable in his own skin. It became apparent to you that he lacked confidence with the phrases he usually tacked onto the ends of his sentences. When you’d invite him to hang out in the beginning his response would always be something along the lines of, “Sure. If you want me to.” But the excitable puppy dog eyes told you that he was dying for someone to want him to tag along some place.

There was a certain understanding between you. You were both more than accustomed with the harrowing feeling of being alone and even though you’d never exactly voiced those thoughts with each other, you couldn’t deny that his was a spirit kindred to your own and he felt it too.

Since the Avengers has disbanded, one of your best friends, Natasha, was dead and your other best friend, Wanda, was gone completely off the rails and the people chasing her wouldn’t let you anywhere near her or even attempt to help pull her out of her darkness. You were being kept as a wildcard in case they needed her taken down. Peter was no stranger to the feeling of being cast aside and so he quickly responded to your frustrations, and in doing so, forced himself out of his comfort zone to be there for you. To his complete shock though, you’d been so appreciative of his efforts.

You never failed to thank him for the little things he did for you, always complimenting his mutation when he’d use it and giving him the recognition he never received at home. The friendship he formed with you was so… two sided, again, something he wasn’t accustomed to before. It didn’t involve him giving everything he had to offer and receiving nothing in return, you matched his energy meticulously and never left him hanging.

In a series of firsts, he didn’t wonder whether or not you genuinely liked him, never feeling the need or want to question it as you’d left him with no reason to doubt.

As he walked around the mall with you now, his mind brought his attention back to the question you’d asked him rather casually a few nights ago. You were both lounging on your couch, watching some ridiculous reality show (a favourite of yours and Peter’s) when you’d turned your head to look at him, a thoughtful look on your face. “Do you think when S.W.O.R.D figures the technology out to crack into other realities, you’ll go back to yours?”

The question had taken him aback for a second, in all honesty, he hadn’t thought about going home, not when he was with you at least and considering he’d become your roommate about three weeks after he got out of WestView, the thought of returning to his old life had barely crossed his mind.

Being an ex-Avenger you were fairly well off, you lived alone in a two bedroom apartment in New York that you’d bought to be closer to Stark tower. Peter had nowhere to go and aside from having a spare room to offer you’d also been sort of lost in the current of the busy city with everyone you once loved in the area either dead, on the run or busy elsewhere.

While the question hadn’t crossed Peter’s mind, it had crossed yours on several occasions. He’d been staying with you for six months and the moment you realised that he was becoming one of the most important people in your life, the thought of him leaving you too weighed on your mind but at the end of the day you wanted him to feel happy. He deserved to feel happy and if going back to his reality brought him that happiness then you’d support him.

“Dunno,” he’d replied, turning to face you, chucking a handful of popcorn at you when you looked incredulous at his response, “To be honest I haven’t really thought about it, m’way too busy babysitting you anyway.” He joked, effortlessly dodging the few pieces of popcorn you attempted to throw at him.

For the last few nights, the question haunted him, but it wasn’t just the question that was bothering him. You were at the forefront of his mind as he replayed the past six months of his life which also happened to be the best six months of his life. WestView put him through hell but coming out the other side of it and meeting you felt like heaven.

He weighed up the pros and cons of returning to his native timeline. The cons: he’d have to leave you behind, he’d go back to being the loser who nobody took seriously, his talents would be downplayed and disregarded and he’d inevitably end up revisiting his lifestyle of solitude. Then there was the pros: he’d get to reunite with his pac man machine. He couldn’t manage to think up anything else.

If he stayed he’d have everything he ever wanted and needed. You’d be there and he knew you always would be, besides he couldn’t leave you knowing that you needed him. If he left who would wake you up when you had night terrors about the catastrophe that your reality was still recovering from? There would be nobody there to comfort you when you woke up from the nightmares, reliving the deaths of Natasha, Tony or Vision and the experience of being snapped out of existence? If he wasn’t there to make you laugh when you were about to cry then who would be? In his heart of hearts he knew you had a huge support system at your disposal, he’d met most of them. Even though he was well aware that Sam visited you as often as he could, that Bucky wrote you letters on a monthly basis and sometimes tagged along with Sam on his visits, that Stephen Strange appeared in your apartment whenever the urge struck him, that the literal god of thunder invited you out for beer whenever he was visiting Earth, that the little spider-kid, also named Peter, swung by your apartment at least once a week to tell you all about school and his good deeds. Despite knowing all of this and knowing all of these people loved you dearly, Peter wanted to be your main source of support, he didn’t want to be someone who came and went, who’d love you then leave you. He wanted to be with you through anything and everything and the feeling that you’d love him for a lifetime had him satisfied with the decision he was about to make.

If leaving his old life meant he could stay here, with you, and experience happiness for more than a fleeting moment then he’d simply; leave it all behind.

“I’ve been thinking about what you asked me the other night.” He spoke through a mouthful of curly fries. You were sitting in the food court of the mall when he decided to let you in on his desire to stay with you indefinitely.

You raised your eyebrow, “You? Putting thought into an answer? Peter, I think I’m starting to become a bad influence on you.” You told him teasingly, taking a long sip of your drink as he rolled his eyes humorously.

“You’re a terrible influence which is exactly why I’ve decided to stay here and put you on the straight and narrow.” The glee you felt at his statement was undeniable, your eyes lit up and your lips curled upwards.

“You’re staying? Really staying?” Your smile was contagious, Peter’s face now painted with a wide grin as he nodded his head.

In a moment of weakness he frantically added, “Y’know only if you want me to though. If you don’t that’s completely cool.” He rushed through the words, feeling more embarrassed when the fond look on your face never faded.

“Of course I want you to stay. You mean a lot to me.” You reassured him, a gentle smile on your lips as you reached across the metal table, intertwining your fingers with his.

Peter squeezed your hand gratefully, holding it in his grasp securely and allowing his smile to return to his face, “I know. You mean a lot to me too.” It was somewhat of an understatement, he was starting to understand that you didn’t just mean a lot, but that you meant everything.

His resolution lifted a huge weight off your shoulders that you wouldn’t be losing yet another best friend. You were glad he’d be with you when everything blew over with Wanda, the two of them definitely had the potential to develop a beautiful sibling relationship and they both deserved that. Of course, Peter would never replace Pietro and having known them both it was obvious just how different the two men were, the only thing they had in common being their powers and last name. Still, he and Wanda would still be able to work on it. He didn’t hate her after WestView and you knew Wanda well enough to know that she was kind hearted and she’d be more than willing to give him a chance. When she eventually comes back to her senses, that it.

As the months went on, life with you and Peter seemed to only get better. You never stopped laughing, your nightmares died down and Peter had taken on a whole new lease of life. Yourself and Peter were the perfect example of meeting the right person at the right time, you balanced each other out and accentuated the other’s good qualities.

Peter could now say with complete confidence that he was happy and what’s more is that he was finally sure that he was making someone happy.

Up until nearly eleven months of living together your relationship had been purely platonic, save for the constant flirting but flirtation pretty much ran in yours and Peter’s blood. Peter wasn’t going to lie to himself, he’d fallen for you the second you’d peeled the security tags off his stolen sunglasses.

You, on the other hand, had been fighting with yourself because yes, you love Peter but you couldn’t have told him when there was the possibility he’d eventually leave and now so much time has passed and you’ve got such a good thing going you didn’t have it in you to ruin it.

However, all of that changed when your original Maximoff best friend came knocking on your door.

Wanda was on the run. She’d caused an amazing amount of chaos but Stephen Strange and S.W.O.R.D were hot on her trail and now she needed a place to lay low with the twins. She figured there was no place more reliable to go than to the always open arms of her best friend, who conveniently had a divinity for earth magik and could muster up a protective barrier without raising suspicions. And that’s exactly where she found herself; outside your door.

You’d been chasing Peter around the apartment when you heard the knock on the door. Peter was on the opposite end of the kitchen to you, using the bar as a shield from you. “You better get that.”

“Oh you’d like that wouldn’t you?” You glared as you spoke, it was his own fault really. What sort of idiot jumpscares a witch while she’s mid-meditation? He’d frightened you so badly you accidentally blasted a ball of your signature green energy and ruined your favourite couch throw pillow. When you were ready to pounce on the scared speedster the knocks sounded again, more frantic this time.

With one last glare towards Peter you stomped towards the door. Your anger melted away completely when you saw her. Her hood was up and she looked completely exhausted, two small hooded little boys by her side.

“Wanda…” You breathed out, relief flooding your system at the sight of her alive. She didn’t get a chance to speak before your arms were pulling her against you tightly, hugging her as if your life depended on it. Wanda returned in your embrace, allowing herself to relax for the first time in nearly a year, she sniffled against your shoulder, holding back tears as she realised how much she’d truly missed you.

Billy and Tommy watched in confusion as their mother cried into your shoulder. They didn’t know who you were, all their mother had told them was that they were going somewhere safe.

It was the yell of one of the boys that caused you and Wanda to separate, “Uncle P!” With that you felt a familiar rush of air across your leg but instead of Peter appearing one of the kids was gone.

You shared a perplexed look with Wanda, although your confusion was for different reasons.

“Hey hell raisers!” Peter responded, catching the mini speedster who all but threw himself at him barely regaining his balance before the other child had flung himself into the hug.

“Wanda? Those two… are they...?” You started, at a loss for words Wanda cut you off quietly, her tone as disbelieving as yours.

“My children? Yes. Is that…?” You nodded your head numbly, anticipating the end of her question.

“Your fake brother? Yeah.” Quickly, you realised you and a wanted woman catching up with the door wide open wasn’t ideal and you ushered Wanda inside, shutting the door when she walked in.

“Hey.” Peter greeted her simply, as if he hadn’t been used as a meat puppet in her altered reality. It wasn’t in his nature to hold any grudges.

“Hi?” Wanda replied, her voice still twinged with confusion.

“Peter, will you keep an eye on the kids for a bit? Wanda and I have some catching up to do.” You asked him with a nervous laugh, just thankful that Wanda was too tired to argue with your suggestion.

Peter ruffled the boys’ hair and gave you a grin, “Only if you stop trying to kill me.”

You rolled your eyes as you began to lead Wanda into your bedroom, “You’re on probation, jerk.” You called over your shoulder.

Once you were securely in your bedroom, the door locked and sitting comfortably you fixed Wanda with an amused look, “I’d ask you what’s new but I’m not sure I even wanna know.”

Wanda gave you a sad smile while she shook her head, “No, you probably don’t. I will tell you tomorrow, I don’t want to get into it tonight. I’m so tired.” She admitted, her voice overcome with sadness.

“I’ll pump up the air mattress and you and the boys can sleep in here for however long you need. I’d offer you the spare room but that’s where Peter’s been staying and I don’t think empty food containers are the kind of decor you’d be into.” Wanda nodded, squeezing your hand gratefully.

“So his name is Peter?” She asked, curious about the man Agatha had used to trick her in WestView.

You nodded in confirmation, “Yeah. Peter Maximoff, actually.”

Wanda’s brows came to a furrow at that, “Maximoff? So he’s a relation?”

“Yes and no. Peter is from a different reality but he’s still a Maximoff and he’s got super speed. So, and this is just my theory, while you’re not directly related he could still be your brother- if you wanted him to.” You explained, as gently as you could, not trying to push her too far but to nudge the idea in her direction.

Wanda, to your surprise, didn't seem to hate the suggestion, “What is he like?”

A genuine smile made it onto your face then, as you shot into your description of your roommate, “He’s caring, funny, a little bit of a kleptomaniac but he’s working on it. He’s understanding and moronically selfless, moronic in the sense that he doesn’t even realise he’s being selfless. Huge pain in the ass too.” Wanda had a soft smile on her face by the time you’d finished.

“You like him.” Was all she said and you let out a laugh in disbelief, standing up and opening the door.

“Go grab a shower. I’ll have Peter blow up the air mattress while I go introduce myself to my god sons.”

“I thought you’d at least wait until I actually asked you.” Wanda laughed as you walked out of the room.

Things moved fairly quickly after that. As promised you introduced yourself to Billy and Tommy as their god mother, which they seemed more than thrilled about and you assumed that excitement had to do with whatever description of you Peter had given them. Wanda and the twins were all cleaned and fed and had all but collapsed into bed, foregoing the air mattress and huddling together in your double bed instead.

“Where are you sleeping, mother Teresa?” Peter teased as he noticed your eyes drooping where you stood.

“On the couch probably. Or the air mattress.” You mumbled, cutting yourself off with a yawn.

Peter, unimpressed with your options, scoffed, “No way. Come on, you can bunk with me.”

Much like Wanda, you were too tired to argue and you let Peter pull you to his, surprisingly clean, room by the hand.

You both crawled into the bed, lying close together despite the amount of empty space on the mattress.

“How are you feeling about all of this?” Your soft voice broke through the silence and Peter turned his head to look at you.

“About Wanda?” You nodded your head, watching him intently as he rolled onto his side, facing you more comfortably.

Peter shrugged lightly, “I’m feeling ok. Just glad the twins still see me as their cool uncle.” You let out a small laugh at his response.

“Wanda was asking about you. Seemed interested in getting to know the real you.” You informed him, your heartwarming as you watched a hopeful look fall across his face.

A lull settled over the room once again and Peter caught himself staring at you. His eyes drifted over every visible part of you, reminding him of most of the points on his pros list for staying in your universe; your eyes, your lashes, your nose, your lips, you.

“What’re you thinking about?” The sound of your tired voice pulled him out of his thoughts and ultimately pushed him to bite the bullet and tell you how he’s feeling. With you curled up beside him, in his bed, fighting sleep just to stay in his company for as long as you could; he knew there would be no better time.

“Just about how happy I am to be here with you.” He answered you honestly, the butterflies in both of your stomachs fluttering in sync at his words.

You trailed a hand under the duvet and onto the bedsheets between your bodies, feeling around until you found his hand and gently intertwined your fingers. “I’m happy you decided to stay.”

“What you’ve all gone through in this timeline sucks- don’t get me wrong-“ Peter started sincerely, scooting closer to you and dropping his head back down on the edge of your pillow, leaving the pair of you practically nose to nose as he went on.

“And I hate that Wanda had to go through so much… but I’m really glad that it led me to you.” Peter swore in that moment, right after the confession left his mouth, that he could die right now and be completely content knowing that you now knew how he felt.

His heart stopped, and he thought that maybe he was about to die, when you gave him the softest, sweetest smile he’d ever been on the receiving end of and whispered, “I feel the same.”

Time moved in slow motion as he felt you moving your intertwined hands towards your lips, your lips pressed gently against the back of Peter’s hand before you brought them to rest against your chest.

It was a fact to say that Peter Maximoff had never felt intimacy quite like this before. But, experiencing it now, with you, led him to wonder how he’d ever survived without it. He wasn’t sure whether it was natural to crave more, especially when the affection you were showing him was so gentle, but he didn’t care as he let the impulsive side of him take over.

Not sparing another word, Peter closed the small distance between your lips and his. His free hand cupped your jaw while yours wasted no time in getting tangled in his silver hair.

His lips moved softly and surprisingly slowly over yours and he savoured the feeling of your hand holding his while your other got lost in his hair, your body pressed up against him, the way your jaw moved against his palm as you reciprocated the movement of his lips and the taste of your lips, promising himself he’d never let the memory slip from his mind for as long as he lived.

With complete clarity, Peter could say he had felt true, genuine happiness and he had no doubt in his mind that there was absolutely nothing Charles, Hank, Scott or anyone else from his original timeline could say to make him leave this happiness behind. Because in the process of forgetting his old life, he couldn’t deny that he has undoubtedly found himself in the position of a man who had so much more to live for.

[finnyboywolfhard]

Gross

Richie Tozier x Reader

summary: Y/N likes Richie so much its gross. 

Inspiration: Gross by Olivia Rodrigo 

warnings: literally just pure fluff, cursing we know who this is about 

word count: 2.1k 

The bass was heavy and loud, the people were insufferably packed together. Y/N was a really good friend, or so she kept telling herself, for coming to this party just to appease Bev. Ever since they met at a bookstore, they had gotten really close-despite living in two different towns. Y/N maneuvered her way through the swarm of people. She turned the corner into the living room and spotted her red headed friend in the corner alongside the group, she had heard called themselves ‘The Losers Club’. Her elbows starting jamming into people as she finally crossed the threshold of people and practically fell into the arms of one, Richie Tozier.

“Well, well, well. It appears that you’ve fallen for me.” Y/N let out a chuckle at the response. His brown eyes, goofy little grin and messy, curly hair did manage to melt her heart just a little bit in that moment.

“So, Y/N, you’ve met Richie.” Bev said as she pulled her from Richie’s arms and into a hug. The two stand swaying for a second before Y/N releases herself from the hug. She couldn’t help but notice the six set of eyes staring at her.

“Jesus guys, would it kill you to interact with her instead of stare.” Bev pulled Y/N’s back to her chest and looked toward the group. “You guys, this is Y/N. Y/N, this is Ben, Bill, Mike, Stan, Eddie and Richie.” She pointed at each one as they were introduced.

“Ni-Ni-Nice to me-meet you, Y/N.” Bill said waving to her. Y/N and the group got acquainted a little before they all started breaking off in sections, leaving Richie and Y/N alone.

“Hey.” Y/N said breaking the awkward ‘silence’. “I don’t know this house at all, could you guide me to the kitchen for something to drink?”

“Of course m’lady.” He said taking on one of his many accents. He lightly grabbed her hand and dragged her through some people and into the kitchen. The girl somehow found a water bottle amidst the copious amounts of alcohol.

“Come on, not even one drink?” Richie said leaning in to shout over the music, their faces coming extremely close.

“No sir, I have to drive home tonight. Who’s your lucky DD?”

“Stan the Man Uris.” Richie slurred together slightly. He wasn’t drunk, but he wasn’t quite sober either. Y/N let out an ‘Ah’ in response. She noticed how many eyes were now spent looking at her and Richie.

“Hey Richie?”

“Yes my darling angel?” The nickname made her blush, but she had a bigger thing to focus on.

“Why is every girl in the room staring at you?”

“Oh…Uhh…well you see, I made a joke to some gullible ass freshman that I had a 12 inch wang and he’s started telling everyone. Now the class clown is somehow becoming the class arm candy. I just want it to stop.”

“What if we made them stare for another reason?”

“You got an idea?”

“Two, first off how do you feel about slapping?”

“Please don’t slap me.”

“Okay, what about pretending we’re gonna go hook up?”

“Now we don’t have to pretend if you don’t want to-“ She shoved his arm.

“Richie, do you want it to stop or not?”

“What should I do?”

“I’m gonna get really, really close.” She said as she pressed her body flush with his. Her face was centimeters away from his, she pulled his face down so that she could whisper into his ear. “Now wrap your arms around my waist and pull me closer. Start talking about something random and just ignore what I am doing.” She pulled back just slightly as to start making eye contact. Her stomach was a flutter with butterflies and the proximity. His arms wrapped around her and snuggly brought her closer to him. He began jabbering about something stupid Eddie had said earlier that day about your hand getting chopped off while it’s out the car window. To sell the point to ones close enough to see, which considering how dense the party was was a lot of people, she kept glancing between his eyes and his lips while he was talking. After a few minutes past, she pulled him down to whisper again.

“Is it working?” She watched as his eyes lightly glazed the room and shook his head no. She cursed to herself. Richie’s eyes lit up with an idea, and his arms squeezed her tighter into him.

“I’m gonna kiss you now.” Richie leaned down to whisper into her ear. He leans back and Y/N shakes her head yes. He gently grabs her chin and pulls her in for a passionate kiss. They stay kissing for a brief span before pulling apart. He leaned into her ear and said “If I get you to the front door, can we go out to your car?” All Y/N did in response was grab his hand. He lead her to the door, and she led him the rest of the way. Once they get to her car, she lets her head fall against the headrest on the seat.

“Oh my god it’s so much nicer out here.” She let out with a chuckle.

“You can say that again.” Richie said in the same manner. “Thank you for back there by the way, I just needed to get the fuck out of there.”

“Oh yeah, no worries. What should we do about Bev and the boys?”

“I figured that when they can’t find us, they’ll come looking. In the meantime, we could hangout…that is if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all.” Y/N said with a beaming smile. And from that day on, they hung out as much as they physically could. Their weird fake relationship blossomed into a wonderful friendship and then a very real relationship. For nearly 3 months, the pair had seen each other at least five times in a week. Whether that meant Richie driving the 45 minutes to her or vice versa. It was a lot, and it was expensive but they didn’t care. They were having fun and loving where they were.

Y/N was hanging a new photo of her and Richie on her wall by her bed, as Richie watched idly on her bed. His eyes wandered around the walls and furniture at all the different photos and keepsakes she had kept. While most of the photos were of either him, or the two together, he didn’t feel narcissistic in loving how her room looked. He loved it just because it was hers.

“So tell me my darling angel, how was school today?”

“Fine.”

“No Y/N. We’re not doing this bullshit today. What happened?”

“Nothing, just this dumb bitch Penelope C.”

“God, I hate that Penelope C piece of shit.” He said, matching her same angered tone.

“Rich, you don’t even know her babe.”

“I trust your opinion of her, if you hate her, I fucking despise her.” Y/N grabbed her boyfriends face wasting no time in making out with him. She pulls back and just looks at him stunned.

“Why was that the hottest thing you’ve ever said to me?”

“What can I say? I know what drives the ladies crazy.”

“I’m sure of it.” She said sarcastically. Richie did his signature puppy dog eyes, and her icy heart was thawed. She gave him one more peck to the lips, and then began placing pecks scattered all over his face. He grabbed her by her hips and flipped her to be beneath him. He began tickling her relentlessly. Her laughter filled the room, yet also drained her. She pried him off of her. The two lay side by side, heads turned to make eye contact.

“You’re so fucking beautiful Y/N.” Richie said. Y/N moved her head closer and gave him one more soft kiss.

Music softly filled the car. Richies hand was placed gently in Y/N’s lap, his thumb absentmindedly grazes her leg. Her eyes were wandering, looking at each driveway, house, mailbox and road. One day, hopefully, her and Richie would be driving to their own house. They would pull into the driveway and go inside to see their pets or their kids. Her future with him seemed bright. A wide smile creeped across her face as did a light blush.

“What’s got you so smiley?” Richie said, glancing away from the road to look at her.

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

“You were thinking about me huh?”

“Yeah…” Y/N said embarrassed.

“Tell me all the dirty little details, my darling angel.” He said cockily, smirking towards the road.

“Ugh, Richie don’t be gross. I wasn’t thinking about that.”

“I’m sorry, but is it so hard to believe that my hot girlfriend is thinking about her incredibly sexy boyfriend?”

“Oh shut the hell up.” She said through her laughter. He started faintly laughing with her.

“What were you really thinking about?”

“Just about what it would be like to have a future together. And what it would be like to drive to a home of our own with things of our own.”

“You really want a future with me?”

“Of course I do.”

“I can’t wait for it then.” He said smiling, transferring his hand from her thigh to her hand. He gave her hand a light squeeze. They drove in comfortable silence for a moment, before Y/N had the idea to stir the pot.

“Oh and Richie?”

“Yeah?”

“Think of all the sex we could have in a house of our own.” She said with a smirk as they pulled into her driveway.

Bev wandered around Y/N’s room as she was chaotically putting away her laundry all over her room.

“Jesus, everywhere I turn, there’s Richie.” Bev said breaking the silence, making Y/N giggle to herself. “You really like that dumbass don’t you?”

“Yeah, I do.” Y/N stopped for a moment to think about Richie Tozier before continuing,“I can’t help but think and talk about him all the time. He makes me feel so safe and loved, and he always makes me laugh harder than anyone else. I want everything from him- the highs, the lows, and everything in between. I want to tell him everything about my day and i want to hear about the trivial shit he talks about like the traffic coming to see me or what bill did at lunch that day. I like him so so much. I lo-love him.”

“Yeah, it’s kinda gross.” Bev joked with Y/N. “I’m happy for ya Y/N/N, as annoying as he is, he is a really good guy.”

“God, he is so annoying… but it’s kinda why I love him.” The girls continued their night as planned, but the thoughts of how Y/N felt about Richie never left.

As soon as Bev left her house early the next morning, she hopped in her car and went over to Richie’s house. Bev always had to leave super early because of her dad, so Y/N knew she couldn’t just knock on the Tozier’s door. She climbed her way up a tree and across some of Richie’s roof in order to knock on his window. A shirtless and boxer clad Richie came the window groggily.

“What are you doing here darling angel? It’s fucking 7 am.” He said, rubbing his eyes and through a yawn.

“I just really gotta talk to you.” His eyes widened at that sentence. He ushered her in and onto his bed. She sat for a few seconds and then stood up to pace a small line.

“Y/N, is everything okay?” Richie said.

“I just…I like you so much it’s gross.” Y/N said looking right at him. “And you were right.” She said with a roll of the eyes and a light stamp of her foot.

“What? What do you mean ‘I’m right’?”

“That very first night we met, hell the very first moments we met. You were right, I did fall for you.”

“Y/N…” Richie said quietly, coming up to bring his body flush to hers, just the moment at the party.

“I love you Richie.”

“I love you so fucking much Y/N.” He said, pulling her into a long, passionate kiss. Y/N sure was glad he was the one she gave her heart to.

[sapiowoman28]

I can, I can't : Part 1 of 3

Pairing: Jaemin x female reader

Gener: best friends to lovers au, smut, fluff

Warning: mentions of sex, masturbation (Female)

Summary: Jaemin and Y/N are part of a group of best friends. One day, things change.....

They called themselves the dropouts. Brought up in good Catholic families, active within the Church community as kids, Catholic school education... the works. They then grew up and stopped going.

It wasn't some group thing were everyone agreed to stop going altogether at the same time. It was more like, one by one, they stopped going.

Jeno was the first to stop, at 15, after his parents got divorced. He became angry and withdrawn. By 16 he was mixing with the wrong crowd - think underaged drinking, partying, It was only after a close brush with the law that he - literally and figuratively - sobered up and decided to focus on healthier pursuits like education and sports. Thankfully too, the old Jeno that everyone knew and love came back.

Then were was Renjun. Renjun was always the one who wasn't really into religion anyway. He was more apt to believing in aliens and ghosts. His mother kept him going for as long as she could. By 18 he was out.

Haechan, as he got older, became a sporadic goer. After moving out on his own to live with the guys and Y/N in an apartment closer to campus, he stopped too.

Y/N? The older she grew, the more she learnt about the importance of gender equality. The more she embraced feminism, the more she found some church teachings hard to swallow.

All was left, of course, was Jaemin. Now Jaemin, he was still a "good boy", faithfully going to Church every Sunday. It wasn't that he was extremely religious. It was more that he had gone to Church every single week all his life. To not go one week felt odd and different.

The good thing was, nobody made fun of him or tried to stop him from going. Jeno even woke him up on Sunday mornings before he went for his 10km runs just so Jaemin would get to mass on time. (Mass is what Catholics call a church service.)

Y/N enjoyed hanging out with her friends. She was like one of the boys. It had always been like that since they were young. Everyone who knew Y/N knew she was not to be messed with. Not only was she capable of kicking anyone's balls, she also had four bros who would come after their ass too. In fact, guys who were interested in dating her would often try to get in good standing with the four guys so life would be easier for them. So it was hardly surprising that Y/N had never had her heart broken.

The problem was, Y/N was the one breaking hearts. Commitment wasn't her strongest suit, and more often than not she'd break off with whoever she was seeing with very trivial reasons, First she was dating Xiaojun. Then 7 months later she broke it off with him because apparently he "sucked at making out". The truth was, Xiaojun was good enough in bed but Y/N wanted to date the more exciting Yang Yang after meeting him at a frat party her gal friends dragged her to and making out with him. So Yang Yang it was. For a while she was happy. But then 10 months passed and Yang Yang was history. Now it seemed, was some guy called Lucas.

"Now, before you guys misunderstand, Lucas is not my boyfriend." Y/N declared over a pizza with Jaemin one Saturday night. "He's just... a friend..."

Jaemin raised his eyebrow. "You mean a friend with benefits? Cos based on what we have to hear every single Friday night, none of us think you guys are friends. Speaking of which.... Jeno wants me to talk to you."

"Let me guess, you lost rock paper scissors. Again. And that's why you're the one speaking to me."

"Well, we have house rules to follow..." Jaemin started, looking somewhat uncomfortable.

"Jeno and his stupid house rules." Y/N sighed. "What now? I can't bring Lucas home?"

"It's getting kind of weird for all of us...."

"You guys bring girls home all the time!" Y/N protested.

"I don't." Jaemin said. It was true.

"Jeno does. Haechan does. Even Renjun! Remember that weird Yoga chick he was seeing?"

"But they're not loud. Lucas sounds like he has a loudhailer in his throat and it's weird hearing him......we end up having to use headphones."

"I've tried asking him to tone it down. But he gets too excited when I blow him..." Y/N grinned as Jaemin covered his ears with his hands, not wanting to hear the details.

"Look, Jeno says he appreciates that YOU have gotten less loud since that time you were dating Yang Yang. But Lucas he's just.... too expressive. Can't you do it at his house or something? It's not the moaning as much as the dirty talk, you know?" Jaemin's voice was getting tinier and tinier.

"If Jeno has a problem, why can't he tell me himself?" I know it's not Haechan or Renjun who are complaining. Haechan's always gaming with his stupid headphones on and Renjun's always listening to music on his noise cancelling ones."

Jaemin sighed. "Don't put me in a tough spot, Y/N..."

He looked at her with puppy dog eyes.

"Fine. I'll speak to Lucas. But I'm only doing it cos of you, cos you good Catholic boy and virgin and all."

Jaemin rolled his eyes. "For the last time, Y/N, I'm not a virgin!"

Lucas took the news surprisingly well and he was happy to have her hang at his apartment instead. Which turned out to be a better thing, since his apartment was bigger and his housemates were never around. Y/N wondered why she insisted on making out at her apartment to begin with.

"I'm surprised Jeno was the one with the problem.." Lucas said after they had made out and she was snuggling in his arms.

"He has all these rules. The worst part is he makes Jaemin speak to me instead of telling me directly."

"It makes sense. You and Jaemin are close."

"I'm close to all four of them."

"No no no." Lucas said, "Each of them has a different thing with you."

"Explain, Mr Wong." she said, looking up at him.

"I think Jeno knows both of you have strong characters so he has Jaemin speak to you instead when there's an issue so you guys won't argue. He prefers to keep things light, so the most you're gonna get is Jeno making fun of you for having a thing for foriegn men."

"What about Haechan?"

"Haechan's your gaming bestie. You talk about gaming, and game together. But he'd kick the ass of anyone who gives you trouble."

"I think I'm least close to Renjun."

"I don't think it's that. It's more Renjun is kind of in his own world. He's like that with everyone. But he feels close to you guys."

Y/N was impressed.

"What about Jaemin?"

"Jaemin's like your total opposite. But you guys get each other. I like him. He's a good guy."

"Yeah he's a virgin." Y/N joked.

"He's a good looking guy! Heck, if I was a chick I'd go after him man!" Lucas said, his eyes expressive as always.

"Well, he's a good guy. I've never seen him bring a girl home."

"Come on man, when it comes to hormones, even good guys turn bad."

Lucas was driving her home when she got a call from Jaemin.

"Wassup?"

"Are you alone?" Jaemin asked. He sounded strange. "I need help."

"Are you ok?" Y/N asked. "I'm with Lucas. Where are you?"

"Oh. I'll call someone else..."

"Don't be an idiot, Jaemin. Where are you?"

"Hospital." he said. "Can you come? Just don't tell anyone anything. Not even Lucas."

She found him in a bad state at the hospital. Sitting in a daze, blood stains on his crumpled shirt. Y/N had never seen Jaemin look so small.

"Hey" she half whispered. He looked up.

"I can go now. I got an x-ray done. My nose is not broken. And it's finally stopped bleeding." he said. "I already collected my medicines. Mostly painkillers."

"What happened?" she asked.

"I don't want to talk about it." he said.

"Let's get home and get you out of these bloody clothes. And then you can tell me after you've had a good night's sleep."

"Can i sleep in your room tonight?" he asked. It was an unsual request. "I'm feeling quite shaken."

"Yeah. Sure. Let's do that."

It was 2am and he still couldn't sleep. She could feel him toss and turn next to her.

"Jae."

"Sorry."

"No, I can't sleep either."

He sat up.

"I need to get my ID card back. Can you follow me tomorrow?"

"Your ID card?"

"I was fooling around with a first year chick in her house. Her parents came back and caught us. Her dad took my ID away, said he was going to lodge a police report against me for tresspassing his house and taking advantage of his daughter. Well, that's after he beat me up."

Y/N sat up. This was interesting, she thought.

"She's 18?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"18 is legal you dumbass." she slapped her forehead.

"I thought it was 21.."

Y/N groaned. "I can't believe you're so stupid."

"But the trespassing thing?"

"They don't have a case Jae. I'm sure you can prove you were invited there. Even if she lies and said she didn't invite you. They can't prove it beyond a reasonable doubt."

"I'm so glad you're studying law."

"And Jaemin?"

"What?"

"It's illegal for him to detain your ID. YOU can report him."

"Oh. I didn't know that."

"Can you go sleep now that you know you're not actually in trouble?"

"Yes. Thanks Y/N." he said, turning to face the opposite side.

But Y/N couldn't sleep. Her mind was running a million miles a minute. Jaemin made out with someone. What was he like when making out? Was he gentle? Was he sweet like he always was to everyone? Was he a dom or sub? What did he do with the girl? Did he have fun?

Her own thoughts made her sick. Feeling a stir in her stomach made her sick. This was her best friend she was thinking of. She had to stop. Maybe she needed a shower.

Taking a towel with her to the bathroom, she shut the door, stripping quickly and getting under the hot jets of water. Damn it, Y/N, she scolded herself. Not Na Jaemin. What happened to your thing for Chinese guys?

She soaped herself trying to escape the mental picture of Jaemin, between the girl's thighs, lapping on her clit mercilessly, his eyes twinkling like they would whenever Jeno or Haechan said something witty. Suddenly, she was thinking of him between her legs, lapping at her core.

She brought her fingers to her clit, rubbing them from side to side. She leaned against the bathroom wall, moving more aggressively. She was wet. Biting her lip she pushed two fingers into her pussy, thrusting them in and out, the sound of the shower masking the wet noises as her fingers moved.

The muscles in her stomach were tightening. She could no longer hold back, thinking of Jaemin thrusting into her, looking at her with an intense gaze. She wanted him bad.

Slowly she came undone, as she moaned into her hands while cumming.

Suddenly, someone was knocking aggressively on the bathroom door. Y/N froze.

"I need to pee!" Haechan shrieked. "Hurry! I need to go back to my game!"

"Give me 2 minutes I'll be done." Y/N said, drying herself with her towel and getting dressed, mind still dazed from thinking about Jaemin. She knew their friendship was never going to be the same ever again.

She was just wondering how easy or hard it was going to be, to get Jaemin to join her on the other side.

[dumdumsun]

And Dusk

A/N: Just a heads up, the sensitive content in this chapter will be marked "<<<<<<" as the beginning and ">>>>>>" to signify the end. The racial slurs used in this chapter were targeted towards African Americans (and still are) and I chose these because I, myself, am African American and used them as a sort of “default” for any POC readers. ⚠️Please, never use these towards anyone. Whether it be in a “joking” manner or not. They are hurtful and were created to be that way⚠️ I wrote this chapter the way I did to bring awareness. Proceed with caution. Much love ❤️

Warnings: ⚠️racial slurs⚠️, violence, mentions of guns and dying/death

Word Count: 3707

—————————————

Chapter 3: The Frankel Footage

Shaking himself out of his shock, Five stood from his seat and hurried after his brother, grabbing onto his arm and stopping his strides. “The hell is wrong with you, Luther? I just told you the world’s gonna end in ten days!”

“Yeah, well, you’re always saying that.” Luther nonchalantly spoke before moving away, but Five intervened yet again.

“And so far, I’ve been right.” He hissed as Luther sighed and shook his head.

“Look, you want to go save the world? Knock yourself out, alright? I already got a job.”

“Wait, you work in this shithole?” The boy furrowed his brows.

“Yeah. Well, my boss owns the place,” Luther only received a nod from his brother, so he clarified. “I’m his body man.”

But this only made Five even more confused. “What’s that? Like, a masseuse or something?”

“Okay, you can make fun all you want, but I take good care of Mr Ruby.”

“Wait, Ruby. The Jack Ruby? The gangster who shot Oswald.”

Despite Five’s concern, Luther proudly smiled a smug smile as he glanced over at his boss. “Yeah. The one and only.”

“Well, it finally happened,” Five sighed. “That gorilla DNA has finally taken over your mind-”

“Hey, watch it, alright? Jack’s a good friend-”

“And you’re Number One. Numero Uno. Remember?”

Luther clenched his jaw and shook his head. “There is no Number One. Not anymore. Not in 1963,” When Five stared at him in disbelief, Luther sighed again. “Look, I’ve been stranded here alone for a year. What did you expect?”

Five scoffed. “I get it, alright? You watched Pogo die, the world exploded, and I marooned your big dumb ass in time. I’m sorry, okay? But I’m asking for your help, Luther. The Umbrella Academy needs you.”

“It doesn’t need me,” He slowly spoke to draw out his words. “It never did.”

“Luther, honey,” The waitress from earlier approached the two. “Jack’s about to lose it on some half-wit. A little help?”

“Ah, shit,” He groaned and began walking away. When Five tried yet again to stop him, he whirled on him, his lips pulled into a thin line. “Listen. You’re the genius who said we should jump, right? You’re the one who got us stuck here. And you’re the one who brought Vanya. So, if there is a doomsday coming, she’s probably the cause. And if I was gonna do something about it, it sure as hell is not gonna be with you. That’s (Y/N)’s job, being dragged around into your messes-”

“I don’t drag her into anything.” Five swallowed, blinking rapidly.

“Yeah? Well, she wasn’t stuck as a thirteen-year-old and constantly worrying about her kids until you showed up. I’m surprised she isn’t sick of you yet.” And with that, he stomped away to his boss. This time, Five let him go, his words sending a pang through his chest as he thought back on it. Grabbing his drink, he sighed and shook his head.

“Dad should’ve left him on the moon…” He muttered, taking a sip of his drink before moving to leave his seat. When he felt his jacket snag on something, he looked down to see an object in his pocket. Taking out the tape, he frowned and turned it over.

Date: 11/22/63

Subject: FRANKEL FOOTAGE

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

This world was unfamiliar to (Y/N). She knew she had to have been somewhere in America, but she didn’t know where. The cars, fashion and stores bringing the street she walked to life told her she had to have been in the sixties. But she didn’t want to believe it. Surely Five hadn’t time travelled that far? She had to have been dropped during some type of sixties-theme festival. But the voices suddenly beside her quickly prove her doubts wrong.

“What do we have here?”

“Looks like we’ve got ourselves a lost little colored girl.”

Tensing, (Y/N) continued her way down the sidewalk, slightly speeding up her pace, but the men fell into step beside her with ease, flanking her sides.

“You’re on the wrong side of town, girl.”

“Yeah, we don’t like coons around here.” One of them hissed right in her ear. Her eyes welled up with tears before the other shoved her forward.

“Gon now, get!” He ordered as if she were a dog. She realized that’s how they had seen her. An animal. Nothing more. Tripping on a crack in the sidewalk, she fell to the ground, smacking her face on the concrete. She choked out a sob as the two men cackled. And to make matters even worse, she felt the pitter patter of raindrops start to freeze her skin.

(Y/N) gasped out in shock when the men spit two wads of saliva in her face. She knew she must’ve looked a mess with spit and tears sliding down her cheeks and blood oozing from her nose. She hiccupped on her sobs and began to stand, much too tired from her previous fight with Vanya and literally being dropped from the sky to successfully do so. The men backed her up against a wall and one fisted the front of her vest before a voice called out.

“Take your hands off of my child!” Whipping around, the men were half expecting to find another target, but (Y/N) coughed and sputtered nonsense upon the person her gaze fell upon.

“M-Mom…?”

Before her was Grace, but… she wasn’t robotic in any sense. She could tell by the raw anger etched into her features. She took a brave step forward. “I said. Take your hands. Off my child.”

And that was another thing: her accent. (Y/N) was immediately comforted by the stern southern accent the woman shared with her attackers. It was a voice she never thought she needed. The two looked between Grace and (Y/N) with smirks. “You mean this lil ol’ jigaboo-”

“Is my daughter. Now you let her go before I call the police.”

“Woman, I don’t care if you call the police-”

Grace took it upon herself to step closer and grab the child by her arms, yanking her into her warm embrace. (Y/N) immediately latched onto her, quivering in her hold. The men scoffed and shook their heads, beginning to walk away. “Make sure to keep that thing on a leash if you’re gonna have it out, ma’am.”

“Oh, fuck off.” She growled before turning and walking back in the direction the girl came from. As they walked past the alleyway, Grace took out a handkerchief and began wiping the girl’s face clean of what the raindrops hadn’t already washed away. “It’s alright, hun, they aren’t gonna hurt you anymore.”

“T-Thank you.” (Y/N) sobbed and gently held her nose in pain. Grace crouched in front of her and gently held her face in between her hands.

“Don’t thank me, darlin’, it’s how everyone should be treatin’ you ‘round here… Where are your parents? I could take you to ‘em.”

(Y/N) thought for a long moment, watching as the rain soaked Grace’s hair and clothing. The woman didn’t seem to mind as she watched the girl before her swallowing thickly. (Y/N) skimmed over her current choices. She didn’t have any choice.

“I don’t have parents. I-I don’t remember them…”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

“I’m tellin’ you, Reggie, she’s highly intelligent for a child her age.” Grace proudly presented (Y/N) to the man she had grown fond of over their time working together. (Y/N), however, was frozen in her spot. Sir Reginald Hargreeves. The man whose death she had wished upon for years, whose death had finally graced her existence, was back in her life. She flinched at the disapproving look on his face, much too acquainted with it by this point in her life. “And she’s very respectful. Talented, too, this girl can speak several languages.”

“You seem rather fond of this child.” The man observed as Grace squeezed her into her side.

“She’s my pride and joy.”

“And you cannot remember anything of your past, child?”

“N-No,” (Y/N) shook her head and stared down. “Not a lot. J-Just my name and birthday.”

Reginald hummed and stared her down with an unreadable expression. When she met his eyes again, he was crouched down to her level, his monocle clutched in his fist. “(Y/N), was it?”

“Yes.”

“It would be an honor to have your presence within my home, along with your mother.”

“O-Oh, that’s okay-”

“I insist. Besides, you have been living with her for almost half a year, correct? It is highly unlikely that she will share a home without you.”

“He’s right about that, hun,” (Y/N) glanced up at Grace, who was smiling warmly at her. “I’m not leavin’ you.”

(Y/N) could have cried.

And she did.

One year later, (Y/N) had been living quite the comfortable life with Grace and Reginald. She had been introduced to the ape, Pogo, for the second time since Grace first started working with him. As much as she loved being around the chimp, it brought back so many memories. She almost felt silly, looking after him sometimes knowing he had done the same for her in the original timeline.

Her relationship with Reginald was nothing she ever expected. He was gentle, well as gentle as Reginald Hargreeves could get, he cared for her, spoiled her, even. She wouldn’t have to ask for anything half the time. If he were to overhear a conversation between her and Grace about a dress she oh-so wanted, it would suddenly be laid out on her bed the next day. She usually had a say in dinner meals every Thursday and Sunday and Reginald listened intently whenever she would voice any discomfort or concerns with her living conditions. (Y/N) never had a real father, but she assumed this is what it was like to have one. She never wanted to let go of it.

For her birthday in 1963, she was surprised that he had actually gotten her a present. As she entered the parlor, she was met with the tiniest bark and an even tinier golden retriever, bounding up to her. She gasped and stopped low, letting him jump into her arms. She let him lick her face and giggled in the joy it brought her.

“Your mother said you would like it. Though I would never allow dogs in my house, I have come to understand that there are rules I must bend for you, my child.”

(Y/N) turned to her father. Yes, father. Reginald, also growing quite fond of their father-daughter bond formed between them, decided to adopt the girl. As much as his beliefs and his deep distaste for children protested. There was just something about this child. Or perhaps it was Grace’s insisting, reassuring him that he would make a wonderful father. (Y/N) was very hesitant at first for her own reasons she never shared, but eventually came around to the idea of being his daughter again.

This was the same Reginald Hargreeves who locked her in a dark room for five days straight, but also an entirely different man. Perhaps it was her fascination with the differences, or maybe she just wanted a real father for once.

“Thank you, Dad.” She softly smiled, the man nodding in response.

“But this is your pet, (Y/N). It is your responsibility. I will not find it in my study, in my bedroom, you are to train it yourself-”

“Can you-”

“And no, I will not help you pick out its name.”

The girl softly groaned and looked back down at her new puppy. Looking into its eyes, she smiled softly at a distant memory as a small child.

“Welcome to the family, Mr Pennycrumb.”

-------------------------------------------------

(Y/N) groaned when she felt the sunbeams of the early morning sunrise hit her eyelids, coloring her black vision with the stinging fire of orange. Rolling onto her other side, she stretched her blanket over her head. They were yanked away the next second, causing a whine to leave her lips. “Mom… Five more minutes.”

“I let you sleep in long enough, hun, it’s time to get up. You have a date with Preston this afternoon.” Grace gently pulled her daughter to sit up, giggling quietly at her look of disgust.

“Preston? Seriously?”

“Yes, seriously, let’s get goin’.” Grace patted her leg and walked to her door, waiting patiently. (Y/N) sighed and rubbed her face, letting her feet slide into her slippers. As they descended the stairs to the kitchen for breakfast, Reginald could hear his daughter’s sleepy complaining from his place at the table.

Setting his utensils down, he turned his head in their direction. “My child, how many times throughout each week must we have to repeat this conversation?”

“Until it starts making sense.” (Y/N) stepped into the dining room, now in her robe, and crossed her arms over her chest. Reginald sighed and stood from his chair at the table.

“You are one of my greatest accomplishments,” He began towards her. “There is no doubt in my mind that you would make a fine successor. I do not believe you will need a husband. In fact, you would be better off without another individual holding you back from what you are truly capable of.”

“But?” She raised a brow.

“But… I have grown to know you more than I expected… and I know that you would need someone to help manage your finances you inherit once I am gone. Preston is a fine young man who was born into this life, made into this life. He will take good care of you.”

(Y/N) knew there was only one person in this world who would truly take good care of her. But he wasn’t here, and she needed to play the part as the amnesiac adopted daughter, so she huffed and nodded. “Fine… I’ll go…”

“Thank you-”

“But only if Mr Pennycrumb can go, too.”

“Very well, but you will not be gifted another animal if you lose it.”

The outing wasn’t entirely bad. (Y/N) didn’t mind the picnic or the art museum, it was the company that made her blood boil. Preston is anything she would have expected out of him. This had been their seventh date, tenth of the ones he planned. (Y/N) sought out any opportunity she could to cancel on him to save herself from the unbearable three hours she would have to spend with the kid. He was arrogant, smug, selfish, narcissistic, and overbearing. Of course, this was not the Preston he presented to her parents. No, to them, Preston was ‘a fine man with a bright future ahead of him’, or as Grace would put it, ‘a delight to have around’. He laughed like a drunk, talked like a husband, and smelled like a man. All at the age of fifteen. (Y/N) had to remind herself on several occasions that she was mentally the older out of the two and to not stoop to his level when he got under her skin.

“Don’t you think, (Y/N)?” The voice brought her attention back to the boy beside her. She looked up from the grass they had been strolling through. When she hummed in question, he amusedly scoffed and side-step closer to her. “Never mind. I should have known you wouldn’t have been interested in politics.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” The girl raised a brow. At her confusion, he laughed and gently tapped the side of his head.

“You’ve always got that head of yours in the clouds. Or turned behind you- like right now.”

(Y/N) turned her head away from where she had been looking over her shoulder. “What? Sorry, Preston, I’m a little preoccupied today.”

“With what, exactly? You don’t seem to be the type of girl to have very many issues. Nothing to worry about.”

“And you wonder why I don’t listen to you.” She sighed as her puppy ran in between her legs, rolling in the grass once he was a few paces in front of them. Preston frowned in distaste and shook his head.

“You should really keep that thing on a leash, sweetheart.”

She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes, clenching her teeth as she folded her hands behind her back. “Really now?”

“Really. You know, I’m not very fond of dogs, so I’m not sure how it’ll work out once we’re married. I think we should get one after we have kids, you know? Just so the kids could grow up with it.”

(Y/N) quickly turned her head to the left, pointing out across the street. “Preston, would you look at that?”

“Look at what?” He gullibly looked in the direction, (Y/N) quickly checking the area before almost silently singing her tune. From her shadow, her clone formed and robotically walked behind the two. She quickly switched spots with it and ordered the clone to walk with Preston before scooping her puppy into her arms and rushing off in the opposite direction. Once she was behind a diner far away from their date location, she let out a sigh and gently patted her dog on the head.

“Were you sick of it, too?” She chuckled. Resting the back of her head against the brick wall she leaned on, she let out a slow breath and began to relax. The sound of guns cocking had her head snapping up so fast, she swore she could have dislocated it. Just down the end of the line of stores were three white-haired men, one in a milkman uniform, training their guns on her. (Y/N) didn’t waste a second tucking her dog in front of her and spinning around, charging down the opposite direction as bullets whizzed past her. She dodged them the best she could, jumping a few feet in the air at the ones that threatened to take their place in her feet. It was like a dance; the twisting, spinning and jumping, and she was to perform this dance until one of those bullets killed her if she didn’t find a way out soon. Sliding to the side of a clothing store for cover, she gently shushed her pet as she caught her breath.

The three sets of footsteps eventually found their destination and rounded the corner with skilled quickness, shooting at the girl until she was nothing more than a bloodied corpse on the ground, bullet holes lodged in almost every inch of her body. The three men nodded to each other and turned around, making their way out from behind the stores.

(Y/N) had already been down the street from her house by the time her attackers found the clone in her place. She couldn’t have been bothered to check herself for any wounds, too worried about Mr Pennycrumb’s potential bullet wounds. But the pup was perfectly, happily nuzzling into her arms and wagging his tail. This left (Y/N) to ponder.

Who the hell were those men?

-------------------------------------------------

“Is it on?”

“I don’t know.”

“What do you mean, you don’t know? There’s an ‘on’ button. Just- There’s something over- that jigga-ma-thing, whatever.”

“I hit the jigga-ma-thing!”

“Okay, well, just- Give it to me. I know how to do this.”

“Alright, here, here. Hurry up.”

“Okay, alright, let’s see…”

Lila didn’t look up from her task of painting poor Elliott’s toenails, his bindings he received after threatening the trio with a gun preventing him from moving too much. Which was beneficial to her, as it kept her from ruining the paint job. She softly smiled as she listened to the argument between the elderly couple on the film Five and Diego were intently watching. “They’re so cute,” She commented. “I love old couples. I’m always so proud of them for not murdering each other.”

Ignoring her, Diego turned to his brother from his seat on Elliott’s counter. “Why are we watching this?”

“Shush.” Five replied, eyes trained on the film before him, searching for any clue to the approaching apocalypse, brows furrowed in concentration.

“Yeah, I… I’m Dan Frankel. And…”

“I’m Edna Frankel.”

“...Edna Frankel. We are in Dallas, Texas, to see the president. Today’s date is November 22, 1963.”

Five nodded as everyone’s attention was brought to the projected screen before them.

“That’s six days from now.” Lila spoke as Elliott thrashed about more against his bindings. Diego sat forward in interest.

“Holy shit. This is it. The grassy knoll. Kennedy’s about to get shot. How do you have this?”

“Hazel died to get me this footage,” Five answered. “It must be the key to stopping doomsday.”

“Hazel…?” Diego frowned, remembering the man he spent hours searching for and planning to kill to avenge the death of Eudora Patch.

“Long story.”

“What’s doomsday?” Lila looked up at the boy.

“Longer story.”

“What exactly did he say to you?” Diego asked as Lila turned her head back to the film.

Five shrugged. “Well, he was killed before he could explain. But whatever he wanted us to see, it’s on this film.”

“This is very exciting.” The old man smiled before the sound of gunshots and screaming could be heard, the camera moving around in blurs due to the shock of the old woman filming.

“Oh, my god!”

“Oswald…” Diego whispered, setting his knife down as Five leaned in closer.

“The president!”

When the camera was steadied to record across the street, Five and Diego both stiffened in their spots at what their eyes caught. “Oh, no…” Five breathed and moved behind the projector, rewinding the film and scooting the cart backwards to zoom in closer. The room was silent as Diego stood to his feet and Five rounded the cart before standing beside his brother, directly in front of the film. “This can’t be…”

“Okay, you gonna fill me in now, boys?” Lila glanced between the two. “What the hell is this shit we’re watching?”

But she was ignored yet again.

“No, that’s impossible…”

“Clearly, it’s not.”

“What… What is it?” Elliott muffled past the gag in his mouth.

A beat of silence went by before the two Hargreeves whispered in unison,

“Dad.”

—————————————

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